Definition of Love
by chocosparks
Summary: Riku is bothered by the fact he's the only one who's still single. When Roxas and Xion's cousin who's trying to forget her scarred past moves to Destiny Islands, Sparks fly. RikuxOC with SoraxKairi, RoxasxNamine, TifaxCloud, HaynerxOlette and many more!
1. Second

It was a late summer afternoon on Destiny Islands. Riku and his two best friends, Sora and Roxas sat on a Paopu tree staring out to the horizon. Sora ran his hand through his spiky brown hair impatiently and checked his watch. "Where are they? The suns gonna set soon."

"Sora! Roxas!"

The blond and the brunette whipped their heads around to find Kairi, Sora's girlfriend and Namine, Roxas's girlfriend waving at them. Both ran over to them, leaving Riku behind. Grabbing the girl's hands, they ran back to the tree.

"Hey Sora, the sun's starting to se-" Riku turned to his right, only to find Sora passionately locking lips with Kairi. "Sora…." But Sora was too busy he didn't even hear Riku. "Hey Rox-" Riku turned to his left, only finding Roxas making out with Namine too. Finally Sora broke off. "Huh, what were you gonna say Riku?"

"Nothing. You know, I'm gonna leave so you HAPPY lovebirds can share your romantic moments." Riku replied in a loud sarcastic voice. "Dude, were we making you uncomfortable?" Roxas licked his lips to taste Namine's cherry lip gloss. "We'll stop, promise." But Riku can tell by the look in Roxas's blue eyes and how he was enjoying the lip gloss left on his mouth, he was more than ready to do it again.

Riku jumped off the Paopu tree and ran down the sandy beach. He could hear his friends calling for him, but he didn't answer. He had enough. _Why is everyone already with someone? Sora had Kairi, Roxas had Namine, Donald and Goofy had girlfriends who's names I don't even know, and I hear Link is dating some princess chick name Zelda…_

Sure, it's probably cause Riku tends to be quiet and somewhat shy, but it's not like he hasn't tried. He asked out both Kairi and Namine before, but they both rejected him, yet they both said yes to Sora and Roxas. The thought of it was like getting stabbed in the chest: being second best. And its not just with Kairi and Namine; Roxas's twin sister Xion had a head over heels crush on Sora, and all the fangirls always gushed about how sexy Roxas was, but never Riku. Riku kicked a pebble out of his way "Second second, always second." He mumbled under his breath. "Second second second seco-"

"Riku!" Roxas finally caught up to him. Riku rolled his eyes but Roxas didn't notice since Riku's silver bangs were always blocking his green eyes. "What?" Riku groaned.

"Look, I'm really sorry how me and Sora were doing back there. I wanted to make it up to you." "How? Letting Kairi and Namine make out with me?"

"In your dreams." Roxas laughed. "No, but my cousin is just moved to Destiny Islands a few days ago. Her name's Yin, and the gang's meeting her on Friday. You coming?" Riku only stared at his feet. "Come. AWN! You two have SO much in common: all quiet and laid-back. You guys could hit it off well" Roxas finished his sentence with a playful wink.

"I really—"

"Great! Meet on Main Street at 3pm! Can't wait to see the sparks between you guys!" Roxas then dashed off quickly, just in case Riku would chase him down and kill him.

Riku however, just stood there. He had no choice but to go.


	2. A New Beginning

Dashing upstairs to her new room, she ripped opened her suitcase. "Can't. Stand. This. Heat!" She muttered as she fumbled through the tangled bundles of clothes. Finally she fished out a pink tank top and denim shorts and changed out of her Hollister hoodie and jeans. She kicked off her green Converse, put on a pair of flip- flops, and flopped onto her bed. _Much better _She thought. It had already been her second day, and she still had jet lag.

"YIN!" She heard her mother call from downstairs. "You know your suppose to meet your cousins at 3 right?"

_Oh right. Crap. _Yin checked her phone for the time: _2:45pm_. 15 more minutes of lying around. Closing her deep blue eyes, millions of thoughts begun to run around her head. Her first thought was how different Destiny Islands was to her home back in Washington. Destiny Islands was warm and sunny, while the sun rarely shone and it was pretty chilly back at Washington.

But the climate wasn't the most important thing. The reason she came here was for a new beginning. She really could thank her cousins Roxas and Xion advising her to move. They were her closest friends and now she can see them everyday. _Come to Destiny Islands with us! Forget the past and look forward to the future. _She remembered them saying.

Past….That word hit Yin like a rock. Squeezing her eyes tightly to erase it, she focused on what her cousins said, look forward to the future. Maybe she could make new friends. Maybe she could become confident. Maybe she could discover happiness again…..

_2:55pm. _Yin hopped out of bed. Xion told her that she and Roxas were gonna introduce her to some of their friends, might as well make a good impression. Brushing her dark wavy hair, she swiped on waterproof mascara, a slick of pink lip gloss, and her favorite golden bangle band. Taking a deep breath, she thought to herself, _Look to the future._ She ran outside and headed down to Main Street to meet Roxas and Xion.

"God damn, where the hell is she?" Xion checked her phone for text messages. "Can you go at least one day without swearing your head off?" Roxas asked his sister. "Well, exxxcccuuuusssee me, its my way of expressing my frustration." "Well, try your best to "express" less." Roxas made air quotes.

"Hey guys…" A quiet girls voice called out. The twins turned around. "Yin!" They ran up to the dark haired girl and embraced her warmly. She wrapped her arms around them very gently. "Were so glad you're here!" Roxas was squeezing his cousin so hard, it looked like he was about to break her bones. "Alright Roxy, give the girl some breathing space." Xion pulled her blond brother off Yin. "They others should be here soon. They're really excited to meet you." Yin nodded as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

Xion stared at Yin's reply and noticed Roxas was staring at her golden band. Xion and Roxas then exchanged discouraged looks. She still was the same.

Sora, Riku and Kairi walked together. When they were nearly there, Sora and Kairi smiles at each other while looking at Riku. "What?"

"Rikkkkkuuuuuuu, I hear the new girls single." Sora grinned. Riku smiled and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the heads up Sora, but I'm not really in the mood for that kind of stuff."

"C'mon Sora give Riku a break. He doesn't feel like it, he doesn't feel like it." said Kairi. Despite how in love Kairi and Sora were, she always spoke up when Sora's teasing was going out of hand.

"Thanks Kairi." Riku smiled.

"Hey guys! Over here!" The trio saw across the street were Roxas and Xion waving at them. There was another girl with them, Sora, Kairi and Riku knew she must be Yin. They hurried over to join them.

Once they made it over, Riku looked over at the girl standing next to Roxas. His eyes grew twice as large (no one noticed them all googly thanks to his bangs). She was beautiful...


	3. Ice Cream

Riku brushed his hair out of his eyes to get a better look. She wasn't nearly as attractive as Kairi or Namine. She was looking at the ground instead of at him and his friends. But she had some kind of mysterious aura that he found just so….fascinating. There was something different about her, than other girls he knew, he just couldn't figure it out.

Yin looked up at the people in front of her, then looked back down. She wasn't used to large crowds. "Guys this is Yin, our cousin." Xion pointed at Yin. "Yin, these are my friends, Sora…" pointing to a friendly-looking boy with spiky brown hair, "Kairi…" pointing to a girl with dark red hair, "Namine…" pointing to a blond girl. "…And Riku." Pointing to a silvered-haired boy. Yin smiled and waved, and they waved back. "Okay then, introductions are over, lets show Yin around town." Roxas said.

Everyone then started walking down the street. Xion and Roxas walked in front and Yin stayed behind them. Sora, Kairi and Namine immediately surrounded Yin, smiling and bombarding her with questions. "So, how you liking Destiny Islands so far?" Sora asked. "Its alright, so far." Yin replied. "Well, your gonna love it, for this place is only THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD!" Kairi and Namine laughed and Yin forced a smile. "Sora, tune down the volume. You don't wanna scare her away." Kairi replied. "Sorry babe." Sora but his arm around her, Yin knew Sora was Kairi's boyfriend. "So Yin, why did you move here?" Namine asked. "My mom got a job transfer." Yin mumbled. "Cool." All three of Xion and Roxas's friends replied.

Yin smiled in reply. She liked Sora, Kairi and Namine. They were really friendly, not to mention attractive. Xion never said she had such good-looking friends. Sora was beyond hot, and Kairi and Namine were gorgeous enough to be supermodels. Their beauty would have made Yin feel like a loser, but their warm nature was so welcoming that it didn't seem to matter.

Besides the three attractive chatterboxes, Yin noticed the other boy with silver hair…his name….Riku was it? He was walking next to her cousins, who were bickering with each other as usual, but he wasn't talking to them. He too, was attractive like the rest of the gang, but in a different way. Sora, Kairi and Namine were beautiful in a warm, friendly and outgoing way while Riku was in a more dark, mysterious and even somewhat confusing way. Yin continued to answer the trio's questions, while staring on at Riku, as if she was trying to figure him out.

"Say Yin, ever had sea salt ice cream?" Sora asked. "Can't say that I have." Yin said. "What? Hey Roxas! Xion!" Sora called out to the twins. Roxas and Xion, who were in a heated argument about whenever Justin Bieber was gay or not, stopped and turned around. "Let's go to the boardwalk and introduce Yin to Destiny Island's treasure!" Sora said. Everyone on the islands referred sea salt ice cream as "Destiny Island's treasure". "Good idea, lets go!" Roxas dashed ahead. Everyone knew how much he loved the islands "treasure." "By the way Xion, Justin Bieber IS NOT GAY!" His response from everyone was an awkward silence.

By the time everyone got to the boardwalk, they were all laughing, mainly because Sora was making jokes about Roxas having a crush on Justin Bieber. However, the laughter ceased when they saw who was sitting behind the ice cream stand.

"What's wrong?" Yin asked. "Crap, Larxene's working today." Kairi said, rolling her eyes. "If you googled evil, her name will be all over the web."

"Just don't do anything to tick her off." Namine whispered to Yin. Yin nodded, and everyone lined up to get their ice cream. Roxas was first (big surprise), then Kairi, Sora, Namine, Xion, Yin and Riku. When it was Yin's turn, she scanned the menu for flavors. She decided to play safe and get something basic.

"Strawberry." She decided. "$2.50." Yin reached in her pocket to pay, but in was empty. She patted her all her other pockets. Empty. _Crap, I left my wallet back at home._ She hated how forgetful she can be in these situations.

"Sorry, I don't have any mone-" Larxene immediately cut her off. "Wow, getting ice cream without money? What were you thinking? That I would just hand it to someone as STUPID as you?" Yin gasped. Kairi and Namine were right about the whole evil thing.

"Calm down Larxene, she just moved here." Yin turned around and saw Riku toss a five dollar bill on the counter. "Two strawberries." He said. Larxene rolled her eyes and handed Riku two bars. "Here." Riku handed her one of the ice creams. "Thanks…" Yin smiled at him. He smiled back.

The rest of the gang who already got their ice cream, stood to the side and watched. "See, I told y'all they hit if off well." Roxas said. "Bro, you thinking what I'm thinkin'?" Sora looked at Roxas mischievously. "Yep." Roxas returned the look. "Matchmaking time!" They shouted at the same time, high-fiving. They then looked over at the girls.

"Oh god…" They replied, knowing they were gonna have to be involved.

* * *

**Oh Roxas...Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Chapter 4 and 5 will be up soon. R&R! :)**


	4. Unexpected

"Okay, So here's the plan…" Roxas and his friends were huddled in a tight circle. He paused and turned around to check on Yin and Riku. Both were standing on the other side of the stand, eating their ice cream in silence.

"So anyways, Xion, you lead us to the beach to that smoothie stand and we'll all get smoothies. Then Namine, you walk up to Yin and start some small talk with her. And make sure Riku is in front of her." Namine nodded slowly, already having uneasy feelings about this "matchmaking plan."

"And then I'll run and I'll pounce on Namine, causing her to knock Yin over, causing Yin to spill her smoothie on Riku. Yin feels bad, helps Riku get the smoothie off, and BOOM! Intimate moment!" Roxas leaped back and extended his arms for a "ta-da!" effect.

"…"

"Well?" Roxas asked.

"…That's a stupid plan." Sora finally said. "Couldn't you have thought of something better?"

"Well, sorry. So, are you guys in?"

"Ummm…" Was everyone's answer. "If you don't do it, I'll dance to Single Ladies and make all of you watch. Costumes and dance moves included too." Roxas said.

"Lets do it." Everyone quickly said.

"Hey Yin! Riku!" Xion shouted. The two quickly hurried over. "Let's go down to the beach. I know a great place to get drinks!"

Once everyone got down to the beach and paid for their smoothies, Namine groaned. "Why do I have to do the small talk part?" She whispered to Kairi. "You wanna watch your boyfriend dance in a black leotard? I don't think so. Go!" She pushed Namine towards Yin.

"Hey Yin." Namine quickly put on a smile. "Did you like the sea salt ice cream?" Yin nodded. "Enjoying your smoothie?" Namine asked, keeping an eye on Riku walking in front of her. "Yeah I sure a-"

"GUESS WHO!" Namine felt Roxas pounce on her back and cover her eyes. She fell forward and knocked into Yin. When Roxas took his hands off her eyes, she saw his plan worked perfectly: Yin and Riku were lying on the sandy shore, with Yin and her spilled smoothie on Riku's chest. "Yes!" Roxas mouthed and pumped his fist in the air.

"Oh my, I'm, I'm so sorry…." Yin grabbed a napkin and began to wipe the stain off Riku. "Its cool really…." He trailed off their eyes locked.

Yin felt her breath shorten as she gazed into Riku's emerald eyes. Man, he was _gorgeous._ It was like time froze, and it was waiting for her response. But she didn't know what to do. Answer back? Smile? All she could do was wipe his chest and stare, dumbfounded.

"What is going on here?" Yin's thoughts were interrupted as a tall, dark shadow loomed over her and Riku. She turned around and her jaw dropped. She saw the rest of the gang was as shocked as she was. The shadow's owner was someone they all recognized.

"AXEL?" Everyone cried.

* * *

**Uh oh, how does Yin know Axel? Find out next chapter and discover more about her. Sorry that's all that I can spill for now ;)**


	5. Got it memorized?

"Axel…." Yin stood up, crumbling the napkin in her hand, eyes wide and full of fear. She looked like she was going to faint.

"Axel, what are you doing here?" Roxas demanded. "I thought you were in-" Axel turned around and faced his former friend. "I think a better question is, why is SHE here?" He pointed at Yin. She backed away a few steps. "And why was she fooling around with HIM?"

"Dude, chill out." Riku helped himself up. "She was just helping me get-" But the moment he was on his feet, Axel grabbed Riku's neck and slammed him against the rocky cliff.

"Axel stop! This isn't a good time!" Roxas pleaded, grabbing his arm. He shook him off, sending him crashing face first on the sand. "Roxas!" Namine quickly ran over to make sure Roxas was all right. Axel then turned around to face Riku, staring at him coldly straight in the eye.

"Listen up, diamond top." Axel whispered to Riku in a venomous and harsh tone that made Riku shudder. "You keep away from Yin. If I ever catch you two screwing around like that, ever again, I. Will. Destroy. You." He paused between each word so it seemed even more threatening. "Got it memorized?" Riku nodded quickly. Axel let go of Riku and backed off. Walking away, he gave Yin a dirty look before disappearing.

"What was that all about?" Kairi wondered. "Yeah, and how does Yin know Axel?" Sora asked.

Roxas, Xion and Yin all exchanged unsure "should we tell them?" looks. Finally, Xion answered Kairi and Sora's questions.

"YinandAxelusedtodate." She quickly said. "Huh?" Kairi and Sora asked, not hearing her clearly. "Yin and Axel went out last year." Roxas explained.

Riku was shocked. Yin used to date Axel? It just didn't seem possible, someone tough and cold like Axel being in a relationship with someone as shy and quiet as Yin. Maybe opposites do attract?

"Yin! Are you okay? You look sick." Namine said. She was right. Yin's face was a ghostly white color, her eyes were as large as saucers and she was trembling. She looked like she could collapse any second. "Let's take her home." Xion took Yin's hand and walked her toward the streets. "Bye Yin! It was nice to meet you!" Sora cried out. Yin couldn't reply; her mouth was so numb from shock she couldn't speak.

As Yin, Xion and Roxas crossed the street, the twins were both worried and furious. _Of all the times, did Axel really have to come now?_

_The next day…._

Riku put his earphones on and turned the volume up until he couldn't hear anything but the music. He started walking down the street. He always went for a walk in the morning; exercise was necessary for him. He couldn't understand how Sora and Roxas constantly chowed down food and still be as thin as twigs. "Ow!" someone cried. "Oh sorry, I wasn't watching where I was-" He looked up and realized it was Yin, Xion and Roxas's cousin. "Oh, hey…" He said slowly.

"Oh hi…You're Riku right?" He nodded. "Cool, by the way thanks for the ice cream thing, I-I really owe you." She dug around in her pocket and pulled out her wallet. "Really, you don't need to. It's only five bucks." Riku backed a few steps away, as if saying he didn't need the money.

"Okay then. So um, do you live close to here?" Yin asked. "Yeah actually, just a few houses down. I was just going for a walk. You?" Riku asked. "Just finishing unpacking. Still got a few more boxes." Yin replied. "Do you…need some help?" Riku offered. "Uh, yeah sure, that'll be great." Yin quickly said. She and Riku walked down the street towards her new house.

"Say, you're talking more than you did yesterday." Riku replied. "Yeah, I'm pretty shy around strangers." Yin said, shoving her hands into her pockets. "But I'm not a stranger." "You were yesterday." She said. They walked up the steps of Yin's porch and went inside.

From the kitchen, Yin's mom was sitting at the table on her laptop. She looked up "Oh hey honey you're back!" She then looked at Riku. "Who's this?" She asked. "Oh, this is Riku. He's one of Xion and Roxas's friends. Riku this is my mom." "Hi, I'm Carly." Yin's mom extended her hand. "Nice to meet you." Riku shook her hand. "He's just helping me move some boxes. Those go in my room." She pointed at two boxes sitting in the hallway. Both grabbed one and headed upstairs.

"By the way, sorry about yesterday." Yin said as she set her box on her bedroom floor. "For what? The smoothie or Axel?" Riku set his box down. "Both." She said softly when she heard Axel's name. "Well apology accepted. But I have to ask, you two use to date?" Yin nodded. "We broke up a year ago. I don't really like to talk about it."

"Well, he definitely still likes you." Riku said. "But honestly, I think someone like you deserves better." Yin looked up, slightly shocked. _Someone like me? What does that mean?_

"Yin! Xion and Roxas are outside!" Yin's thought was interrupted by her mom's call. "Okay!" She headed downstairs.

"Hey guys!" Yin waved to Xion and Roxas as she headed outside. Riku followed after her. Xion and Roxas were both surprised. "Riku? What're you doing here?" "He was just helping me move some boxes. Thanks for helping." Yin said. "Anytime. I gotta go, see you all later." He headed down the street. The three then headed inside.

"Hey Aunt Carly!" Xion and Roxas waved to Yin's mom as they walked inside. "Hey Xion! Hey Roxas!" She hugged her niece and nephew. "Oh, Yin, your boyfriend seems like a nice guy." "MOM!" Yin yelled. Did her mom seriously think every guy she was with was her boyfriend? Heck, one day she'll probably start to think Roxas was her boyfriend!

"Oh la la." Xion raised her eyebrows and Roxas wolf-whistled. "Are you sure he was JUST helping you unpack?" Roxas winked as they walked up the stairs. "Roxas stop!" Yin's face turned scarlet. Once they reached her room, Yin and Xion went inside. Xion was just about the close the door when Roxas tried to squeeze through the space. "Sorry Roxy, the girls need to talk." Xion pushed him away. "But I-" Roxas started. "Bye!" Xion slammed the door shut and locked it.

"So, you feeling better since yesterday?" Xion asked, flopping onto Yin's soft comforter. "Yeah…" Yin stared at the ground. Xion sighed. "You haven't changed. You're completely different than the Yin I remembered a long, long time ago." Yin twirled her hair. She knew her cousin was right. She herself didn't even know who she was anymore. "I'm so sorry about Axel. I didn't expect him to show up." Xion said.

Yin squeezed her eyes shut. She had enough. Axel this and Axel that. "Xion please!" Yin nearly screamed. "I don't want to talk about it!"

Xion was shocked. Yin hadn't yelled like this in almost a year. Yin realized what she had done and felt guilty for yelling at Xion. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't bear hearing Axel's name.

* * *

**Didn't see that coming? Axel's Yin's ex? :O**

**Whew! Finally all the introduction parts are down. The story starts to get juicy in chapter six. You'll find out the truth about Yin...**


	6. Love the Way You Lie

**Sorry it's been a while! This chapter took me a while to write and edit :P Hope you enjoy it! :)**

* * *

"_Care to say that one more time?" _

"_You heard me loud and clear. I'm sick of how you flip out over every little thing! I'm fucking tired of it! Its over!"_

_She knew she crossed the line there. He pushed the coffee table over, spilling the drinks and catalogs. In three seconds, she was pushed against the wall. He pinned her hands behind her back with one hand and pulled her hair with the other, using his foot to kick her. She screamed, shaking her hands free and punched him right in the face, he lunged right back at her and she kicked him in the stomach._

_He got up and shoved her, cursing right in her face. He picked up whatever was in front of him and flung it at her, including her mother's favorite flower vase. She screamed as the vase smashed and broke, the sharp edges sliced her face and neck. She wiped her face, her hand was covered in fresh blood._

_She got up and ran, up to her room and locked the door. She could hear him pounding and kicking the door. "Damn, open up you worthless cunt!" He screamed. Her whole body ached, and she collapsed on the floor. She felt like dying right there on the spot…No, I can make it! She got her hope up. She scanned her room for her phone, which was sitting on her desk. She slowly crawled over and grabbed it. Just when she was about to dial 911, there was a loud slam. She turned around and gasped. He was standing in her smashed doorway, holding what looked like part of a chair. She tried to run, but he was too fast. She was cornered and pushed onto the floor._

_When she looked up, he was standing above her, raising the chair piece. An evil grin spread across his face. "You're right. It IS over. At least for you, bitch." She closed her eyes and screamed as he hurled the chair at her…_

Yin awoke, her forehead covered in large sweat beads. She was having those nightmares again. She knew once she fell back asleep it would happen again. Opening her closet, she grabbed a brown cardigan and wrapped it around her shoulders. She quietly snuck downstairs and walked outside.

Yin walked down the quiet night streets. She was glad she had her cardigan, for she would've freeze to death in her tank and sweatpants. As she reached near the end of the block, she saw she wasn't alone. There was a tall figure that appeared to be a guy. She recognized it immediately: "Riku? Is that you?" Riku turned around as she walked closer. "Yin, hey…" He said. "Its funny how we keep bumping into each other." Yin chuckled. "Yeah, but somehow, it doesn't seem like a coincidence. So, why are you out here?" Riku asked.

"Can't sleep. Nightmares. You?" Yin asked. "Call me a night owl. Don't like to sleep at night. I usually take walks at night. You can think easier, you know, without any noise and distractions?" Yin nodded. "I was just heading to the beach, You um, wanna come? The sound of the waves is really relaxing." Riku offered. It sounded like a good idea. "Sure thing." Yin said.

Once they headed down to the beach, the two laid down on the silky sand, staring at the stars. The ocean waves stretched just to their feet, then parted back. The soft, gentle splashes soothed Yin's worries.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful." Yin pointed to the sky. Nearly every inch of the dark night was covered in stars, glistening like tiny little diamonds. "It's always like this at Destiny Islands. Once you see it every night, it'll just seem typical." Riku said.

Yin looked over at him, with a look of disagreement. "When you think something is truly beautiful, you'll never get tired of it. Even after seeing it the billionth time, it'll still be as stunning as the first time." She said. Riku nodded slowly, she did have a point. "So, how's your mom's new job going?" He said, trying to change the subject, for it seemed to early to talk about something that deep to someone he barely knew. A nervous and unsure expression quickly spread across Yin's face. She got up and ran, then stopped, her back turned to Riku. Her head was down, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Riku walked after her. Yin slowly kneeled down on the beach before turning to face Riku again. She sat there in silence for a long time. "Riku, I'm not here because of my mom got a job transfer." She finally said so softly, it was nearly a whisper. "Remember about me and Axel? Well, I'll tell you my story to explain everything. You see, I wasn't always like this: Shy, quiet and afraid."

…

"About a year ago, Roxas and Xion were visiting me in Washington. Roxas introduced me to one of his friends who lived in Washington too, that was Axel. He lived in Renton, which wasn't so far away from my home in Bellevue. We always see each other and became fast friends. Over time, we started to like each other and he asked me out, so we began dating."

"At first, I was so happy and complete. Axel treated me like a princess and made me feel beautiful and confident everyday. I couldn't have asked for more." Riku tried to imagine Yin, confident and strong, cuddling in Axel's arms. " But then, slowly Axel began to reveal his dark side."

"At first it wasn't such a big deal. He would only get angry over huge things, and the most he do was yell at me for a few minutes, then he'd cool down. But slowly it got worse and worse."

"He start to lose his temper to small things, such as me cancelling plans last minute, or if I didn't answer his texts or emails. His actions started to turn physical. He would scream, throw things around, slap me, and even punch me during nearly every fight we had."

"Wow, that's horrible. Why didn't you break up with him?" Riku asked. Yin sighed. "I know you would wonder about that. But there was a reason why I stayed with him. Because he still had his kind and caring side. He still made me feel like I was beautiful and confident, and, I don't know…No one had made me feel that way before. It felt amazing." Yin said. "I got what I wanted, but it came with consequences."

"He was so unpredictable. You'd never know whenever he'd be angry or happy. Every time he leaned towards me, I couldn't see if he was going to kiss me next, or slap me. Have you seen the music video for the Eminem song, 'Love the Way You Lie'?" Riku nodded. Sora, who was a big Eminem fan, showed it to him once. "Remember how the boyfriend and girlfriend would beat each other up, then in two seconds passionately kiss, then start to fight again? My life was exactly like that." Riku remembered how intense those fights in the video were, and try to imagine Yin and Axel replacing Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan's characters in the video.

"Finally, one day I got the nerve to stand up. I told him I was tired of him abusing me and our relationship was over. Well, he lost it then." Yin squeezed her eyes shut. "He started to curse and beat me so much I ran to my room and locked the door. I started to cry and called the police. They came and took him to jail." Riku nodded. That would've explained how Axel suddenly disappeared: He went to jail.

" I thought it was all over, but it wasn't." Yin sighed. "This relationship completely changed me. All that abuse left me insecure and frightened. I never felt like I was pretty, since Axel liked to make fun of my looks whenever he was pissed. At first I tried always to look my best. I spent hours doing my hair and I would skip meals in hope to lose weight. I even once begged my mom for a nose job since Axel constantly said it was ugly. Of course she said no." Riku looked over at Yin's nose. He didn't see anything wrong with it; her nose looked perfectly fine.

"Finally, I gave up trying and went the opposite direction. I stopped taking care of myself properly. I stopped hanging out with friends and meeting new guys, afraid that if I did, my whole "Love the Way You Lie" experience would happen again. I'd even start to hurt myself..." She slowly took off the golden bangle band she always wore. Riku's eyes widened. On her thin wrist were long, dark and ugly scars...

"Roxas and Xion heard about what had happened and what I had become. They told me to move to Destiny Islands with them, and forget my painful past. That's why I moved here, Riku, I came for a new beginning. Except I don't think anything has changed." Yin began to sob. Suddenly, she felt a hand gently brush her cheek, wiping away her tears. She looked up, and saw Riku looking at her, only inches away from her face.

He removed the black gloves he always wore and revealed his wrists. On them were scars from cutting, just like hers. Yin slowly traced his scars with her finger.

"Its okay. I understand how you feel, not feeling good enough. I'd always feel that way too. I'd always get jealous of Sora and Roxas, how they were better-looking than me and how girls always liked them. I hated that feeling and I always felt there was no one to talk to about it." He put his hand on Yin's shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. "Your not alone, Yin. You can always talk to me whenever you want about this. I'll always listen." He smiled and Yin returned it. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll stop hurting myself if you stop hurting yourself." He held out his pinkie. "Deal?"

And without hesitating, Yin locked pinkies with him and shook on it.


	7. Victorious and True Love

From then on, Yin and Riku were friends. They were both glad they found someone who can relate to what they were feeling. They often would take walks at night to discuss their problems.

Both had a good impact on each other too. Riku began to be more positive. He'd smile more and be more optimistic. Yin began coming out of her shell. She talked more when the gang hung out and even started to crack jokes that made everyone laugh. She was starting to think coming to Destiny Islands really was a new beginning.

_Ding-dong._ "Hey Riku!" Yin smiled as she opened her door. "What time are we gonna meet the gang to watch the sunset?"

"Maybe 20 minutes or so. " Riku checked his watch. "We can hang out at your place for a while." They walked to the living room and the TV was on. "I was just watching that show Victorious." Yin said as she and Riku plopped themselves on the couch. "Oh yeah, it's kind of like ICarly right?" Riku asked. "In a way, yes…" Yin replied.

It was one of the newer episodes. The main character Tori was singing a duet on stage with her best friend Andre. The scene then cut to a couple that was in the audience. They smiled at each other and kissed. "Are those Beck and Jade? Aren't they dating?" Riku pointed at the screen. "Yeah." Yin said. She turned around and looked at the clock. "Let's go. Sora said he wanted to meet at around 5." She turned off the TV and the two headed outside.

As they walked, Riku asked, "Hey Yin, isn't Jade suppose to be really mean, yet Beck is really nice?" Yin nodded.

"I don't know, I just don't get how Beck could stand someone like Jade." Riku said. Yin replied, "I don't either. Yet the funny thing is, they're my favorite couple on that show." Riku raised his eyebrows. "Huh, why is that?"

"Well, you can tell they truly love each other. Beck sees Jade as a beautiful and amazing person, and Jade sees him the same way." Yin said. "When you truly love someone, you love every part of them, even their flaws. Their flaws might annoy you, but you need to at least learn how to accept them."

"You're right about how they truly love each other. Beck would do anything for Jade, and that's the same for her, I guess." Riku replied. "When you love someone, you would do anything for them, even die for them. But you're not afraid to die for them, instead you'd be glad to help them." Riku added. "Sora almost lost his life to save Kairi when we were young, but he didn't care about himself, all he thought about was her and making sure he was safe." Yin had heard about Sora sacrificing himself to help Kairi; almost everyone had. She remembered how she had admired his bravery.

"Hey Yin, I have a question: How do you know when you found true love?" Riku asked. Yin shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe it's how all does songs describe it: You feel like you're in heaven whenever you're with them, how all you see is them, how no one else can compare with them, I don't know… I guess when you have, you just know, somehow…."

Yin stopped in her tracks. "You realize all this talk about love is suppose to be awkward, right?" Riku chuckled. "Yeah, 'awkward'…"

"Sooo, now were suppose to hope something distracts us from this awkwardness…" Yin said. "Hey Yin! Hey Riku! C'mon guys the sun's gonna set soon!" Sora, sitting on the Paopu tree with Roxas, Xion, Kairi and Namine, waved to the duo.

"Guess that can be our 'distraction'." Riku said. "Race you there?" He asked playfully. "Sure, just don't cry when I win." Yin took off.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Riku ran after her. The two hurried over to meet their friends.

* * *

**This chapter pretty much was just some RikuxYin fluff, next chapter will focus on the story again. PLUS, a new character will be introduced, and it's someone you might recognize ;)**

**Yeah, I love the show Victorious. Its what I've been watching since Glee's gonna be on hold till mid February :P**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D**


	8. Matchmaking

Yin sat on her bed, updating her Facebook status when she heard a light knock on her door. "Come in." She said. The door opened and standing in the hall was her dad and Xion.

"Oh hey dad, hey Xion." She waved. "Hey honey, go downstairs. There's a surprise." Yin's dad said. Yin raised her eyebrows questionably, "Surprise…?" She started but Xion grabbed her hand and dragged her downstairs and outside.

When they got outside, Roxas was waiting on the porch. He smiled big and said "Yin! Look who's here!". He pointed to the person standing next to him.

It was a familiar guy in his late teens who had a striking resemblance to Roxas. The only difference was he was wearing different clothes and he was a few inches taller than Roxas. Yin recognized him immediatly. "Ven!" She tackled Ventus with a huge bear hug. She rarely got to see her oldest cousin since he went off to college last year. "Hey Yinny," Ven said as he swung her around. Yinny was his nickname for her.

"So Roxy, she's Riku's new girlfriend?" Ven asked as he put Yin down. Yin glared at Roxas. "Roxas, what did you tell Ven?" She demanded in a fake angry voice. Roxas stared off to the side and scooted closer to Xion. Yin rolled her eyes and turned back to Ven. "Anyways, he's NOT my boyfriend." She said.

"…Yet." Ven winked. Yin scoffed and playfully punched Ven's arm. "Ow, that hurt Yinny." He rubbed it, pouting and pretending to be in pain. Besides him and Roxas looking nearly identical, their personalities weren't very different either.

"So, anyways, what're you doing here?" Yin asked, changing the subject. She always got so irritated when people joked about her and Riku. "Oh right, almost forgot. You know my band, Blue Blaze?" Ven asked. Yin nodded. Ven and his best friends Terra and Aqua formed their own band. "Well, we got hired to play at this year's Splashdown." Ven replied.

"That's so cool!" Xion exclaimed. Yin was confused. "What's a 'Splashdown'?"

"Only one of the biggest summer events on Destiny Islands!" Roxas exclaimed. "It's like this huge beach party. It's really fun, you should go."

"Guess who's my date for the Splashdown?" Xion said. Yin froze. _You have to have a date too?_

"Yin? Hellooooo!" Yin saw Xion waving her hand in front of her face. "Sorry. So, who's your date?" Yin asked.

"Cloud Strife!" Xion practically swooned. "Really? Wow, he is HOT." Yin said. Xion smiled proudly. "So, have you got a date for the Splashdown?" Roxas asked Yin.

Yin quickly thought of an excuse. "No silly of course not!" Yin said. "I just found out what a Splashdown is." Roxas playfully did a face-palm. "Oh right. Of course."

But deep down, Yin knew exactly who she wanted to go with.

* * *

"So, you gonna ask her?" Sora asked. He, Kairi and Riku were sitting on a Paopu tree. "You know I'd never have the guts to…" Riku replied. "Riku, you don't have to ask her to her face. That's boring." Kairi said. "Think of an original way to ask her. Believe me, girls love creative romance."

"Look, I'm just gonna ask her to go…as a friend." Riku said. "Anyways, you guys got any ideas?" Sora and Kairi exchanged looks. "Can't say that we do." Sora finally said. "Why don't you go ask Amy? She's an author, so she's got plenty of ideas."

"Good idea…" Riku said. He saw Sora and Kairi staring at him with eager expressions. "Wait, now?" Riku asked. The couple nodded. "Fine." Riku leaped off the tree and headed down the street.

Sora and Kairi waited for Riku to walk around the corner. They then pulled out their cell phones and began dialing Roxas and Xion.

"Hey, is she there?" Sora asked. "Nope, coast is clear. Yin just went inside to chat with Ven." Roxas was sitting next to the open kitchen window. He peeked quickly to make sure Yin couldn't hear them. She was still in deep conversation with Ven. Ven quickly gave Roxas a thumps up when Yin turned her head around. "Did you send Riku to Amy's beach house yet?" Xion asked.

"Yep, he just left us a few seconds ago." Kairi replied. "Amy's waiting and she already has a plan for Riku to ask out Yin."

"Yes! Everything's going out great!" Roxas high-fived his sister.

"Huh? What did you say Roxas?" Yin called from the kitchen.

"Nothing!" Roxas shouted back.

* * *

Riku rang the doorbell to Amy's house. Amy was a young author who was good friends with Riku and all of his friends. Fellow authors knew her as "chocosparks", but Riku and his friends preferred to call her by her real name.

Amy answered the door immediately. "Riku! Hey..." She blushed slightly. Riku knew she had a thing for him ever since Amy's friend introduced him to her. But they could never end up together since they came from different physical worlds. "What's up?"

"I need your advice." Riku said. "Sure thing. C'mon in!" They walked to Amy's couch and sat down. "So, what do you need help with?" She asked.

"You know Yin? Well, since the Splashdown is in about a week, I was thinking about asking her. Kairi told me to think of some creative way to ask her. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, I suggest you ask her just when you guys are alone, just the two of you. That way it'll be more romantic." Amy said. Riku rolled his eyes. "For the last time, we're just going AS friends! Why do I have to keep reminding people?" "Sorry. Well, when do you guys get alone time?" Amy asked.

"Well, we like to take walks together at night, that's pretty much the only time when it's just the two of us." Riku said. "Walks at night! Aww, that's so cute!" Amy squealed. Riku gave her a disapproving look. "Sorry. But I do have an idea on how to ask her." Amy leaned forward and whispered her idea into Riku's ear…

* * *

**Find out what me and Riku came up with next chaper!**

**Yes, Yin and Riku's friends are STILL trying to get them together, and the got me involved in their latest plan :P**

**I just realized that Namine hasn't appeared in my story in a while. She'll be in the next chapter again :)**

**Ven is the new character in the story I was talking about and yep, he's Roxas's brother. I mean c'mon! They look EXACTLY alike!**

**Ok, I'm done talking. Hope you enjoyed :)**


	9. My Plan for Riku to Ask Yin Out

**Sorry its been a while! I was busy this week and okayyyy...got slightly lazy :P and plz excuse the cheesy chap title.**

**Riku: (reads chapter title) WTF? How many times have I told you I'm NOT asking her out!**

**Me: Hey, I'm the author! I can name it whatever I want!**

* * *

Yin giggled as her fingers moved across the keypad:

_To: Hayner_

_Ur a sexi turtle_

She smiled and pressed 'Send'. The "sexi turtle" thing was an inside joke between her and her new friends, Hayner and Olette. Her phone then buzzed with a new message. It was from Riku:

_From: Riku_

_Meet me on 118__th__ St around 4am tonite. Were gonna watch the sunrise.

* * *

_

"Hey, Riku…" Yin rubbed her eyes and yawned. Even though she was pretty much nocturnal, she still got sleepy at times. The two headed down to the beach. Riku then stopped in front of a Paopu tree farther away from the sea. He grabbed the trunk and started climbing.

"Why are you climbing up the tree?" Yin asked him. Riku stopped climbing. "You'll get a better view of the sunrise from up here. C'mon." Riku beckoned Yin.

Yin slowly shook her head. "I'm…afraid of heights." Riku frowned, then leaped back onto the ground. "Okay then, you go first." He offered. Yin was puzzled, "Why?" she wondered. "Because if you fall, I can catch you." He answered. Yin smiled. "Riku, always being the gentleman huh?" She started to make her way up to the tree.

She got to the top and sat down. Riku climbed after and sat next to her. Yin looked out to the view in front of her: From what she can make out from the darkness, the beach seemed to stretch what seemed a thousand miles before meeting with the waves.

"I've never seen a sunrise in real life before." Yin said. "You guys are so lucky you can watch sunrises and sunsets everyday. Back in Washington, we barely even SEE the sun."

"Well, you're gonna love it." Riku said. "I seriously can't think of anyone who would think a sunset isn't beautiful."

"I know right? So anyways, what special occasion is it tonight?" Yin asked. "What do you mean?" Riku wondered.

"We never watched the sunrise before, except today. There must be a reason why." Yin said. Riku nodded. "You'll find out once the sun rises." He checked his watch: 4:40am. "So in about 15 or 20 minutes." Yin groaned impatiently, "So, what do you want to talk about in the meantime?"

"You hear Hayner asked Olette to the Splashdown?" Riku asked. "Aren't they like going out or something?" Yin shrugged. "Its sssoooo obvious they like each other, but I wouldn't say they're officially an item, they just won't admit their feelings for each other. Can you believe Xion got a date with Cloud?"

"Serious?" Riku asked. "I always thought Cloud liked Tifa, or maybe Aerith." Yin shook her head. "Aerith asked Zack to go with her, and I heard Tifa already has a date too."

"Yin look! The sun's rising!" Riku pointed out to the horizon. Yin's mouth fell open. The entire sky was orange and yellow, and the fluffy clouds were tinted a baby pink. The glowing sun slowly surfaced, cascading it's glittering reflection across the crystal blue water.

Yin rubbed her eyes; was this real? She had only seen sunrises in pictures and on TV, but it was even better in real life. Somehow, it was more fascinating, more romantic, and even more magical in a way.

She turned back to Riku, nearly speechless. "This-This is…This is too amazing!" She managed to make out. "Thanks for taking me to see this, Riku." Riku laughed. "You're welcome, Yin."

Yin's smile dropped for a second. "But wait, what's this big surprise once the sun rose?" She asked. Riku smiled. "Look over there." He pointed outward at a slightly down angle.

Yin climbed to the edge of the tree to get a better look. She saw the surprise: Written in the sand was _Yin, will you go to the Splashdown with me?_ Sprinkled around the writing were flower petals and seashells.

Yin gasped. "Wow, that's so sweet Riku! Did you do this by yourself." Riku shook his head. "Amy came up with this idea. I did the work." He then looked upward to the sky and yelled 'Thanks Amy!"

"No prob, Riku!" A girl's voice answered. Yin jumped from slight shock. "Where did that come from?" She asked. "Amy." Riku replied. "She can choose whenever to be in our world or outside of it. Right now she's outside of it." "So, is she like a god or something?" Yin asked. Riku chuckled. "Not exactly." Yin laughed along with him.

"…..Oh." Riku put a hand on Yin's shoulder to make her stop laughing. "You haven't replied to my invite. Well, will you go with me, Yin?"

Yin grinned and nodded. "Yes."

"R-really?" Riku asked. This was the first time someone said yes to him he asked them out, well then again, he wasn't technically _asking her out_, really.

"Of course." Yin said. "Look, I'm gonna head back home now. My parents will probably start wondering where I am soon." They climbed down the tree. "See you later." Yin said, then she pulled Riku into a tight hug. Riku was shocked by her sudden movement. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist. After a few seconds Yin let go and started to walk away. She turned around and waved good-bye to Riku before running towards the street.

Riku slowly waved back and waited till she was out of sight. "Yes!" He pumped his fist. "Can't believe it actually worked." Amy came out from the Paopu tree. "Whoa!" Riku turned around to face her. He narrowed his eyes and pretended to be angry. "Were you watching the whole time?" Amy backed away a few steps. "Um, no?" She said. "Ooohhh, I'm gonna kill you!" He sarcastically said and ran after Amy.

* * *

Yin opened the door to her house. Her mom was making eggs on the stove and her dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. "Oh hey, honey." Yin's dad looked up from the paper. "Hi dad." Yin walked right past him without eye contact. Yin's mom turned around as Yin walked up the stairs. "Hey, where were you?" She called out. "Uh-huh." Yin said, not paying even the slightest attention to her mom's question. Both parents looked at each other with confusion.

Yin closed the door behind her and locked it. She then squealed and flopped on her bed. She grabbed her phone and dialed Xion's number. She wanted to tell her the news first. Xion picked up after three rings. "Hey Yin!" Xion greeted her. "Put your phone on speaker." "Um, okay." Yin pressed the speaker button.

"HEY YIN!" Multiple voices yelled out from her phone. "Whoa, who's over there, Xion?" "Me, Sora, Roxas, Kairi, Namine, Hayner, Olette, Tifa, Aerith, Cloud, and Zack." Xion replied.

"Hey guys. Anyways, I have some big news." Yin said. "Really?" Xion said. "Why don't you tell everyone right now." Yin bit her lip, then said "Riku asked me to the Splashdown."

Everyone reacted immediately. She heard Xion, Kairi and Namine say "Yes!", Aerith squeal, A "Booyah!" that sounded like Zack or Sora, and a "I knew it!" from Hayner and Roxas.

Yin squinted her eyes in suspiciously. "Hmmm, something tells me this isn't such a surprise to you." "What do you mean?" Olette said in a squeaky voice, pretending to be innocent. "We'll go shopping for dresses for the Splashdown today!" Xion replied. "Shopping? Dresses?" Yin asked. "Do we really have to?"

"Oh c'mon. I already saved $5,000 from my job." Tifa said. She ran a local bar downtown. "Yeah, and Namine is a fantastic makeup artist." Kairi added. Yin sighed. "Fine. But we'll go tomorrow okay? I'm really tired."

"Okay, an-" Xion started. "ROXAS! CLOUD! Get off the coffee table! We'll celebrate later!" Xion was interrupted by Namine yelling in the background.

"Anyways," Xion started again. "Meet on Main Street, us girls will go to the mall to shop and we'll go back to Namine's house to do our hair and makeup, 'kay?" Xion said. "'Okay. I gotta go I'll talk to you later." Yin mumbled.

"Byyyyyyeeeeeee" Everyone said. Yin hung up and laid down on her bed. In about 10 seconds, she was fast asleep. Her last thought before dozing off was _Boy, I sure got some crazy friends!_

_

* * *

**Yep, Yin's got some wacky friends alright! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you all for reading! It means so much to me :)**_


	10. Getting Ready

The next day, all the girls met on Main Street. The only one who wasn't there was Aerith. Since she was one year older than the other girls, she was going to drive them to the mall, for it would take too long to walk there.

"Where is she?" Olette asked impatiently. Aerith had a tendency to be a little late, much to everyone's, especially Olette's, nerve. "Oh c'mon Olette. She's only five minutes late." Kairi assured her. Even though Kairi herself was annoyed about Aerith's tardiness, Olette was kind of overacting.

A few more minutes of waiting were interrupted by a honk. A white SUV pulled over in front of the girls. The front window rolled down and revealed Aerith. "I'm here!" She said cheerfully. "Wow, you sure are early." Tifa said sarcastically to her best friend.

Aerith got out and opened the car doors for everyone. Tifa called shotgun and got to the front next to Aerith. Kairi, Xion and Yin sat in the middle and Namine and Olette climbed into the back row.

They arrived in about 10 minutes. Everyone jumped out of the car and ran into the mall. They cruised through the large, brightly lit stores for things they would consider wearing to the Splashdown.

"Hey guys, let's go to that new store Sunny's. They have really cute dresses." Namine suggested, pointing to the store in front of them. Everyone agreed, since they'd only picked out a couple dresses so far.

Sunny's was a fairly large store, painted with the different colors of the racks of dresses. The girls' eyes all lit up in excitement.

"I think I just died and went to dress heaven." Xion jokily said. With that, everyone separated to different racks, scanning them for the perfect outfit. Kairi, Namine, Xion, Olette and Aerith all snatched a couple dresses they liked and ran to the fitting rooms. Yin stayed at the racks. She saw a light blue one she liked, but couldn't find one in a small size…

She looked up and saw everyone had gone to the fitting rooms. The only ones that didn't were Tifa and her. Tifa was at the rack a few yards away. But instead of looking for a dress, she was looking at the ground instead. Her pale lips were in a small frown. Yin knew that look. It was Tifa's "There's something bothering me but I don't know how to say it" look.

Yin gave up looking for a small light blue. She grabbed a couple of random dresses and walked over to Tifa. "Tifa, is there something wrong?" She asked.

Tifa looked up. "What makes you think that?" Yin shrugged. "Well, you haven't said much since we got here, and you don't seem very excited either. Normally you would be leaping with joy going to the mall." Yin replied. Even though those things were true, it was Tifa's "special look" that said the most.

Tifa sighed. "I guess I'm not such a good actor." Yin smiled slightly. "So, what's up?"

Tifa immediately shook her head. "It's no big deal. Nothing to get worked up with." She muttered. But by the way she said it, Yin knew it was something really getting to Tifa.

"It's okay, you can tell me. You'll feel better once you let it out." Yin said, grabbing her arm. But Tifa shook her arm free from Yin's grasp and turned her back to Yin.

Yin mentally groaned. Tifa was very reserved. She didn't like sharing her true feelings, and when she did she had a tough time doing so. Yin knew she had to go easy on Tifa.

"Look, do you want to get this problem out of the way? Do you want me to help you?" Yin asked in a gentle, but firm voice. Tifa turned around and slowly nodded. "Then you need to tell me what's bugging you, because I can't read your mind and you know I suck at guessing games." Her last statement made Tifa chuckle a little, but Yin continued. "Just say it in the best way that you can."

"Alright, you win." Tifa said. But it still took her a minute to get the words out. "Look, you know how I told you that I got a date last week?" Yin nodded. "Who is it? You never told me who it was."

"Well…well…I lied okay!" Tifa raised her voice, causing a few ladies to turn around and stare. But she ignored them and continued, "I don't have a date!"

Yin put her hand on Tifa's shoulder in sympathy. "Did anyone ask you?" Yin wondered. But she knew that probably wasn't Tifa's problem. Any guy would die to have Tifa: She was smart, beautiful, kind, funny and a powerful martial arts fighter.

Tifa nodded. "Yes, a lot did. But I turned them all down. Because, I…I um, I wanted…"

Yin sighed. Once she managed to work one situation out of Tifa, she had another one to tackle. "Go on…" Yin encouraged her.

"Iwantedtogowithcloud." Tifa blurted her next sentence out all at once.

Yin couldn't help but smile. She knew it wasn't the best time, but… _So Tifa DOES like Cloud! I knew it! I knew it! She finally admitted it! Time to play match-_

"Yin!" Tifa yelled, snapping Yin out of her fantasy. "Sorry. Anyways, did you try to ask Cloud?" Tifa shrugged. "I guess…it took me so much to work up the nerve to. But when I finally did, Xion beat me and asked him before I could. So, I was all like 'Just forget about it", but I can't forget about it. I really, really like him, Yin."

"Well, you don't have to be that upset, Tifa." Yin started. "Just because someone's going with someone to the Splashdown doesn't mean they're going out. Like Aerith and Zack are going together, but I know for sure Zack likes Aqua and both of them only like each other as friends. And you went with Tidus to homecoming, but you don't like him in that way, and neither does he, right? This 'date' thing is technically just an escort to the event." Tifa's expression brightened, showing that she was feeling better.

"And no one said you have to stick with your date through the whole event. You can talk with Cloud during the Splashdown." Yin added. Tifa's expression dulled out again. "I don't know. Ever since I've been having feelings for him, it feels awkward talking to him. Heck, it feels awkward even LOOKING at him." Yin bit her lip. "Oh. Well, I guess the best I can do is wish you good luck."

But in her head, Yin had a plan…

"Hey guys! We're done trying on dresses!" The two girls turned around to find the rest of the group behind them, arms full of clothes. "Let's head back to my place." Namine said. Everyone got back into Aerith's car. Yin looked out the window. Even though she had known her new friends for about a month and a half, she had never been to Namine's house.

"We're here!" Aerith chirped. Yin rolled down her window and peered outside. "Wow…This is your house Namine?" Yin said. Namine's house was a large, white seaside mansion with a vast green lawn and a driveway that seemed a mile long. Namine's room was large too. It had white walls hung with sketches and paintings Namine drew herself, a canopy bed, a bay window bed where the beach can be seen, a walk-in closet and a small bathroom.

Everyone would try on all the dresses they had picked out. They would go with the one they and everyone else thought looked best on them. After selecting shoes and accessories, they would go to the bathroom and have Namine do their makeup and hair.

After Yin picked out her complete outfit, she walked into the bathroom where Namine and a large collection of cosmetics where waiting.

Namine began her magic. She put some highlighter under Yin's brow bone, down her nose and in the inner corners of her eyes. She brushed a shimmery golden eye shadow on her lids, lined her eyes with dark brown eyeliner and slicked on black mascara. Namine patted pale pink blush on Yin's pale cheeks and finished off with some clear lip gloss.

"Wow…" Yin blinked her eyes and gazed into the mirror. She looked _stunning._ "I look beautiful and it goes with my dress perfectly. Thanks, Namine."

"You're welcome Yin." Namine said. "But remember, real beauty doesn't come from your face, but from your heart." Yin smiled. "That's very inspirational. Thanks." Namine nodded. "And if Riku can see that, then he's a keeper." She added quietly.

"What?" Yin asked. Namine quickly shook her head. "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!"

After everyone was done, Aerith dropped everyone off at their houses. After Yin got home, she opened the door and saw Ven and Amy watching TV on the couch. "Oh hey, Yin." Ven waved. "Amy and I just came to visit."

"Ven! Amy! You're just the people I've been hoping for!" Yin ran over to them and sat down. "You know Tifa? She does like Cloud!"

"Ha! I told you so!" Amy shouted to Ven. "Anyways," Yin tried to continue, "She's pretty upset how Xion's going with Cloud. But you know Xion, she'll probably run off flirting with some other guy three seconds after we get to the Splashdown. So, I have a Tifa/Cloud matchmaking plan…" Yin leaned forward and whispered her plan to Amy and Ven.

The two nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can do that." Ven said. And Amy added, "I have the perfect song for that too…"

* * *

**Yep, I'm planning to add a Tifa/Cloud subplot, since I really like that couple :). Not a fan of Xion/Cloud at all :P (btw, I looked up Xion and Cloud and there wasn't any fanfics about them lol). They can be my crack pairing then ^_^**

**I also prefer Aerith/Zack rather than Aqua/Zack. **

**Oh, and one more thing! I'm gonna have Tidus and Yuna make an appearance eventually in this story!**

**Anywayz, Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. One Less Lonely Girl

**Hey guys! Yeah, please ignore the chapter title...**

**Roxas: OMG the chapter title is a Justin Bieber song! (Tackles me) IloveyousomuchAmy thankyouthankyouthankyou!**

**Me: ...You're really creepy, you know that? Anywayz, Riku's gonna appear in this chapter again :)**

**Roxas: BOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Riku: I can hear you, Roxas!**

**Me: Sigh, both of you, stop and get out...**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

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Yin held still as Namine finished dusting shadow on her lids. When Namine finished, Yin opened her eyes. As usual, Namine did an amazing job.

"C'mon you guys hurry up! Olette is getting impatient!" Xion yelled, pounding on the bathroom door from outside. "Am not!" Olette shot back. Yin and Namine laughed. Everyone else had already had their makeup done and picked out their accessories. Yin was the last one.

Namine opened the door and Yin stepped out first. A wave of "ohs" and "ahs" came from the girls. "You look beautiful, Yin!" Kairi exclaimed. Yin smiled modestly. "Thanks, so do you Kairi. All of you do."

It was true. Tonight, everyone looked beyond gorgeous.

Namine wore a white, knee length spaghetti-strap dress with diamonds trimmed along the straps and bodice. She wore a golden heart locket that was a gift from Roxas and golden ballet flats to match.

Olette wore a sheer satin kelly green one-shoulder which had fringe trimmed along the neckline. Some thin, silver bangles hung around her skinny wrists and on her feet she wore flip-flops. Her usual straight hair was curled into beautiful, bouncy loose waves.

Aerith, being the elegant girl she was, chose a mid-thigh strapless white dress with a bubble skirt shaped like a tulip. The pink waistband was accented with two pink roses and the bodice was embroidered with pink and white lace. On her shoulders draped a loose, soft black sweater and on her feet she wore baby-pink pumps.

Xion chose an aqua-blue halter dress that reached mid-calf. She wore a thick wooden bangle on her right wrist, golden hoop earrings and black gladiator sandals. Her everyday sleek chin-length bob was in loose crimps for a more romantic look.

Kairi wore a strapless silver A-line dress that was laced all over with flowers. A pearl necklace hung around her neck and she wore black ballet flats on her feet.

Tifa had on a silky baby pink halter dress that stopped just above her knees. She wore her usual tear-drop earrings and silver T-strap sandals.

And last there was Yin. She wore a lavender spaghetti dress with an empire waist and a pleated skirt. On her neck was a necklace with a golden star-shaped pendant. She wore silver gladiator sandals on her feet and her wavy hair was completely straightened. She pinned a few locks behind her ear with a gem-covered bobby pin.

The beach was full of chaos. Game and food stands occupied most of the shoreline. Loud music blasted as people danced and ran about, enjoying the wild summer event. Riku, Roxas, Sora, Cloud, Hayner and Zack stood by a Paopu tree, waiting for their dates to arrive.

Aerith parked her SUV and everyone got out. People scattered about along the beach and the new Lady Gaga song, "Born this Way", was playing loudly from the DJ's radio. Yin smiled. She was so excited.

She turned around to hear a sigh from Tifa. Yin knew the whole Cloud thing was still bothering her. She leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry, you're going to have fun. I promise." Tifa only looked at her with slight confusion.

"There they are!" Namine pointed to the group of boys. "Hey guys! Over here!" She waved and the girls made their way over to them. Yin stood up straight, and confidently walked to the beat of "Born this Way".

_I'm beautiful in my way_

_Cause God makes no mistakes_

_I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way_

The boys looked up to see the seven girls walking toward them, but to Riku, Yin seemed to stand out the most. She looked even more beautiful than she did everyday. Her shiny hair, dewy skin and blue eyes seem to glow under the late afternoon sun.

"Wow…" Sora said bashfully rubbing his neck, gaping at Kairi. Even after nearly two years of dating, she still knew how to make him nervous. Zack and Roxas wolf-whistled at Aerith and Namine, casuing them to both blush and giggle. "Hey sexy turtle." Olette said, fist-bumping Hayner. Even though they both looked like models, they still saw each other as the same everyday best friends. Cloud only simply smiled at Xion while Xion jumped about like a kangaroo.

Yin brought her eyes to Riku's, suddenly feeling nervous of looking at him. When she looked up, she could see Riku staring at her. For some reason, he seemed somewhat nervous too? No, it was just her imagination. "Hey Yin." He spoke. "You look really pretty." Yin felt more confident from his compliment. "Thanks. So do you." She replied, causing them both to laugh.

She then turned to the rest of the group. "Hey, let's go to the stage and take a seat. Ven's band is going to play soon." Everyone nodded, then grabbed their dates by the hand and rushed toward the stage. Everyone took a seat at the largest round table, next to their dates. "Hey Yin. Thanks for coming tonight with me." Riku said. Yin turned to Riku. "No, really Riku, it's no big deal really."

Riku shook his head. "No, it is. It wouldn't have been as fun tonight if you didn't come." Yin tried to answer him, but she could only nod. She started to feel like the shy self she used to be, like how she felt when she first met him. Why was this happening? She tried to distract herself by checking on how Tifa was. Tifa was sitting across the table and unfortunately, right next to Cloud and Xion.

"And then I told Roxy that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez finally admitted they were dating, and he screamed, and I tell you, SCREAMED, like a little girl, literally. Then Namine slapped him and started ranting on how she was his girlfriend and like…" Xion blabbed on to Cloud, who was looking away with a rather annoyed look on his face, since he hated when people talked too much.

Even though Cloud wasn't listening, Yin could tell Tifa was. Despite Tifa was looking the opposite direction, the uncomfortable expression on her face showed she was paying attention to every word pouring out from Xion's mouth.

_Ven, c'mon where are you?_ Yin wondered. Her question was answered by the DJ. "Ladies and gentlemen…" His voice boomed over the microphone. "…Please give a warm welcome to Destiny Island's favorite band, Blue Blaze!"

He gestured toward the stage as the curtains opened. Ven stood in the center and front, along with Terra and Aqua on each side. "Hey everyone." Ven said into the mike, and was answered by a bunch of girls screaming his name. Ven chuckled and continued, "This first song is one you might recognize. Terra, get up here and sing with me." More girls cheered as Terra walked up front with Ven as the music began.

(Ven) _There's gonna be one less lonely girl_

_One less lonely girl_

_There's gonna be one less lonely girl_

_One less lonely girl_

Even more girls screamed as they immediately knew the song. A lot of couples got up to dance. Riku looked over at Yin, knowing his cue. He opened his mouth to ask, but Yin cut him off. "Riku, you want to dance?" Riku nodded quickly. The two made their way near the front of the stage. Yin put her arms around Riku's neck and he put his hands on her waist. They started to dance, gazing intensely into each other's eyes as Terra began to sing **(A/N: You can skip the song if you don't like JB)**:

(Terra) _How many I told you's and start overs and shoulder's have you cried on before?_

(Ven)_ How many promises, be honest girl, how many tear's you let hit the floor?_

(Terra) _How many bags you'd pack just to take him back, tell me that how many either or's_

(Ven)_ But no more, if you let me inside of your world_

(Both) _There'll be one less lonely girl_

(Ven) _Oh oh, saw so many pretty faces before I saw you, now all I see is you. No no, don't need these other pretty faces like I need you, and when you're mine, in this world,_

_Chorus:_

(Both)_ There's gonna be one less lonely girl_

_One less lonely girl 3x_

(Terra) _There's gonna be one less lonely girl_

(Ven) _I'm gonna put you first, I'll show you what you're worth, if you let me inside your world, there's gonna be one less lonely girl_

(Terra) _Christmas wasn't merry, 14__th__ of February, not one of them spent with you. How many dinner dates, set dinner plates and he didn't even touch his food._

(Ven) _How many torn photographs are you taping back, you couldn't see an open door, but no more, if you let me inside of your world, there'll be one less lonely girl_

(Terra) _Oh oh, saw so many pretty faces before I saw you, now all I see is you. No no, don't need all these other pretty faces like I need you and when you're mine, in this world there's gonna be one less lonely girl_

_(Chorus)_

(Ven)_ I can fix up your broken heart, give you a friendly start, I can make you believe, I just wanna let you know that you're free to fall, she's free to fall in love with me_

(Terra)_ My hearts locked and nowhere that I got the key, I'll take her and leave the world with one less lonely girl_

(Both)_ There's gonna be one less lonely girl 2x_

_(Chorus 2x)_

When the two were done singing, everyone turned to the stage and applauded. Yin gave her cousin a thumbs-up and he winked at her. She then mouthed to him "Do our plan next". He nodded and mouthed back "Gotcha". Ven then turned back to the audience. "Thank you, thank you. Our next song is going to be sang by our lovely and talented friend, Aqua!"

He grabbed Aqua's hand and escorted her to the front of the stage.

_To be continued…_

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_**Find out what me, Yin and Ven planned last chapter next :)**

**Yeah, I'm not a Justin Bieber fan at all, but I thought this song really describes Yin and Riku's relationship, how Yin was mistreated by Axel and how Riku would treat her better :) ****I don't own Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga.**

**I'll also upload photos of the girl's dresses on my profile soon. Hope you can check them out.**

**And lastly, thank you, each and every one of you, so much for reading! Reviews are appreciated :))))))))))))))**


	12. I'd Lie

The crowd applauded as Aqua walked up to the front. "Hey everyone." She said into her mike. This time it was the guys who reacted to her greeting. They hollered, whistled and whooped her name. Aqua chuckled warmly and continued, "For this song, I'd like everyone to dance with someone besides their date tonight."

Just after three seconds Aqua said that, Xion jumped up and ran over to Tidus, who's date and girlfriend Yuna had already went to dance with Wakka. Yin walked up to Tifa, "This is your chance! Cloud doesn't have a dance partner, go ask him!" She urged Tifa. When Yin saw Tifa wasn't going to budge, she lightly pushed her into Cloud's direction.

"Oof!" Tifa landed right on Cloud's shoulder. He turned around to face her. "Oh, Tifa! Hi…" He said. "Hey Cloud. You um, want to dance with me?" Tifa asked awkwardly. Cloud stared down at his feet. "Um yeah, but dancing's not really my thing… I don't want to embarrass myself."

"I'm not a good dancer either, but the important thing is to have fun." Tifa replied. "If you get embarrassed, I'll get embarrassed with you." Her words made Cloud feel more confident. Slowly, he reached over, took her hand and they walked onto the dance floor.

Yin watched from across the room. _See Tifa, I knew you could do it_. She thought. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder from behind. It was Roxas. He smiled and said, "How 'bout dancing with your favorite cousin of all time?" "Guess it wouldn't hurt me that much." Yin jokily said.

"Alright, looks like everyone has a partner." Aqua once again announced. "Cue the music!" An upbeat, country-like tune started playing from the stereo.

"It's like this, right?" Cloud asked Tifa as he placed his hands around her waist. She could feel a wave of nervousness splash through her entire body as he did. _Don't worry, Tifa. Just have fun, like Yin said._ She thought, trying to calm herself down. "Yeah, that's how you do it. See, you're not that bad." She answered Cloud's question just as Aqua started to sing:

_I don't think that passenger seat, has ever looked this good to me. Tells me about his night, I count the colors in his eyes..._

Tifa knew this song. It was "I'd Lie", a song by Taylor Swift. Tifa would always listen to this song, for it seemed to describe her and Cloud's relationship perfectly.

_He'll never fall in love he swears, as he runs his fingers through his hair. I'm laughing cause I hope he's wrong. And I don't think it ever crossed his mind, he tells a joke, I fake a smile, but I know all his favorite songs…_

So many girls, including Tifa, would die to be with Cloud, but he just ignored their affections. Tifa never felt like she had a chance with him, since she felt like a tiny speck compared to the rest of his admirers. She stepped carefully to the beat of the song as Aqua began to sing the chorus:

_(Chorus): And I could tell you, his favorite color's green. He loves to argue, born on the 17__th__. His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes. And if you asked me if I loved him, I'd lie…_

Tifa knew almost everything about Cloud, probably more than his mom, or even Cloud himself! Despite all of her friends nagging her about it, she would never, ever admit her feelings for him.

_He looks around the room, innocently overlooks the truth. Shouldn't a light go on? Doesn't he know, that I had him memorized for so long…_

Even though she wouldn't tell anyone she liked Cloud, it didn't mean it would stop her from trying to get him. She'd try to flirt, to the point where she was obviously revealing her feelings. But of course, he didn't notice at all.

_He sees everything black and white, never let nobody see him cry. I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine. I could tell you, his favorite color's green. He loves to argue, born on the 17__th__. His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes. And if you ask me if I'd love him, I'd lie…_

As the instrumental part began to play, Tifa noticed Cloud's face brighten a little. He even smiled a little. Tifa was shocked inside: Cloud rarely smiled and it was hard getting him too. Was he actually having a good time with her?

_He stands there then walks away. My god, if I could only say, I'm holding every breath for you. He'd never tell you, but he can play guitar. I think he could see through, everything but my heart. First thought when I wake up, is my god he's beautiful. So I put on my makeup, and pray for a miracle. _

Nervously, Tifa managed to return Cloud's smile, which caused him to smile even wider. Like Cloud, Tifa smiled wider. She _was _having fun, like Yin had said.

_Yes I could tell you, his favorite color's green. He loves to argue, oh and it kills me. His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes. And if you asked me if I'd love him, If you asked me if I'd love him, I'd lie._

By the time the song was over, both Tifa and Cloud were all smiles and laughter. The turned to the stage and applauded for Aqua. Tifa turned to look at Yin, who gave her a thumbs-up. When Tifa turned back around, Yin ran to the edge of the stage and fist-bumped Ven and Aqua, thanking them for helping her. Ven then picked up his mike. "Alright everybody, we're gonna take a break and have the DJ take over. Enjoy the rest of the Splashdown!" The curtain then closed on the stage and the DJ began to play music. Some people stayed to dance, while others walked off to enjoy the rest of the Splashdown.

Yin and the rest of the gang decided to take a break and have some fun around the rest of the beach. Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Namine ran off to play games at the stands. Hayner and Olette went to get sea-salt ice cream. Yin, Riku, Aerith, Zack, Tifa and Cloud went to go walk around the beach…

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"Did you have fun?" Tifa asked Cloud about dancing. Cloud nodded. "Embarrassed myself way too much. But yes, I did have fun. Look, I should go find Xion now…" Tifa melted a little inside. "Oh, okay. Where is she?"

The two looked around the beach, finally spotting Xion. She was with Leon and Pence, and of course blabbing her head off. She looked pretty busy and it didn't seem like she was going to be done anytime soon. Cloud sighed then turned back to Tifa. "Do you want to spend some time together then?" He asked her. Tifa nodded. "Yeah, that'll be nice. So uh, you having a good time tonight?" She asked.

"Honestly, not really. It was a huge mistake letting Xion be my date." Cloud said. "Well, why'd you say yes?" Tifa asked, wanting to know what Xion had that she didn't.

"Because I was too desperate." Cloud said. "I was afraid if I couldn't get a date to the Splashdown, I would seem like a loser and I wouldn't have fun at the Splashdown. So the moment someone asked me, I said yes."

Tifa silently gulped when he said that. Did that mean he saw her as a loser then? But Cloud continued. "But, you helped me realized I was thinking wrong."

"M-m-me?" Tifa asked. Cloud nodded, and said "I mean, you didn't have a date tonight but that didn't stop you from being confident and having a great time. And you showed me that I didn't need a date to have fun. I really admire that Tifa, I really do." He then again smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth.

Tifa felt her face heating up from Cloud's flattering comment and smile. "Thanks, Cloud."

The two then walked silently for the next few seconds. Tifa looked out into the horizon. The sun had just started to set: The sky was a rosy yellow color as the sun painted sections of the blue water orange. The light glistened on Cloud's forever spiky hair and instantly lit up his blue eyes, making the two orbs look like tiny suns as well.

She couldn't help but feel lucky. Any girl would die to walk on the beach with Cloud Strife, completed with a gorgeous sunset in the background. Was she going to tell him? The moment seemed way too perfect. Is today the day, she'll finally confess? Maybe, maybe not…

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**Wasn't that cute? Next chapter will have more Tifa/Cloud fluff, as well as some fluff from the other couples! :D**

**Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it! R&R!**


	13. Fluff is in the Air

**Heyy sorry its been a while, it took me a long time to come up and fit many mini-stories in one chapter! Hope you enjoy this very fluffy chapter! :D**

**Roxas: Pfft, whatever.**

**Me: Awww Roxas, are you upset b/c this chapter doesn't include Justin Bieber?**

**Namine (from somewhere else): Is he ranting again how Selena Gomez stole JB away from him?**

**Me: No, Namine!**

**Sora: Oh, he's just upset b/c you didn't write a fluff about him.**

**Me: Ohhhhh. Well Roxas, I wanted to put some romance between the not-yet together couples. And besides, at least your in this chapter. **

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"You hear there's going to be fireworks tonight?" Riku asked Yin as they strolled down the beach.

"I know!" Yin said with excitement. "I love fireworks! There're always cool to watch and I never get tired of them. I don't think anyone can."

"We sure have a lot of things we love and never get tired of huh?" Riku said. "We should make, like our special list for these things."

Yin put her finger on her cheek and looked up, implying she was thinking. "Things Riku and Yin Find so Beautiful that they Never get Tired of it?" She said, suggesting a title for their "list".

The two shook their heads and laughed.

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Cloud stared down at his feet as he treaded them along, sneaking peeks at Tifa every few seconds. She was just walking at a slow pace, staring forward, occasionally taking glances at the sunset.

He wondered what she was thinking about. He wondered if she was thinking about him, hoping it wasn't anything bad…But why was he worrying about what she thought? Was it she was different from other girls?

Well, that was sort of true. There were many girls who love Cloud, and he knew. Most of them would follow him around and act like all energetic and flirty, yet Cloud found that fake and rather annoying.

But Tifa wasn't like that. She was quiet and honest, which he liked. She was also quite mysterious; she didn't like to express her feelings straight forward. That about her made Cloud want to find out more about her, since he himself was withdrawn too.

He found it so funny how she was so different, yet so similar to him. It confused him, but at the same time, it made him feel happy strangely, how he found someone who could relate to him. Tifa would be a good friend, besides the similarities between them, she was a nice person too.

Cloud nodded slowly in his mind. Getting to know Tifa more wouldn't be a bad idea.

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"C'mon!" Olette yelled for Hayner as she ran toward the ice cream cart. Even in a dress, she still managed to be as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog.

"I am! I am!" Hayner answered from behind. "If you don't hurry up, I'm gonna tell everyone to call you "Slow Turtle" instead!" She shouted back. Olette then walked over to the ice cream cart and paid for her ice cream. She unwrapped the bar and began licking the tasty dessert, waiting for Hayner to catch up.

Finally Hayner joined her next to the cart. "One pineapple-banana please." He asked, reaching for his wallet from his pocket. "Sorry kid, we're all sold out." Replied the guy behind the cart. "Dang it!" Hayner said, stamping his foot on the floor.

"Serves you right for being so slow." Olette said, happily eating her ice cream. Hayner looked over at Olette, trying to make big puppy eyes. "Can I have some of yours?" He begged. Olette shook her head and smiled. "You need to learn your lesson the hard way." She said, then turned around and walked toward a bench.

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease?" He continued to whine. "Nonononononono!" Was Olette's answer. She walked at a quicker pace to the bench and sat down. But the moment she looked up, Hayner put his hands on the bench, one each beside her, leaning in just inches away from her face.

"Whoa, Hayner…" Olette jumped back. But he just scooted closer. Hayner's face was shaded with the shadow of her head and his honey-golden green eyes gazed at her with a mysterious expression she had never seen before. "Please?" He whispered in her ear, his cheek ever so slightly brushing hers.

"O-o-okay…" Olette found herself reply to him. Hayner smiled and the mysterious look in his eyes was replaced by its usual mischievous sparkle. The 'girl persuading charm' trick Zack taught him worked! He sat down next to Olette and she continued, "But just one bite. You still need to learn your lesson."

He nodded as Olette put the bar to his mouth. He chomped off a chunk and Olette returned to her lips and licked. "I'd better finish this before it melts all over me." She said, flicking her tongue at a quicker pace.

But in a matter of minutes, most of the ice cream was splotched all over her face and chin. "Crap." Olette mumbled. She reached to wipe the ice cream off, but drew her hand back, not wanting to risk getting the mess on her dress.

Before she could set her hand back on the bench, Hayner suddenly leaned his head towards hers. His next movement made her jaw drop.

Using his tongue, Hayner started to lick the melted ice cream around her cheeks, cleaning it up. "Hayner…" Olette argued, but she made no attempt to smack him away. Instead, she just sat there, staring at his half-closed eyelids as he worked his way down around her jaw line and chin.

He finished on the area around her lips. But he didn't pull away. Hayner then ever so softly, planted his mouth on Olette's, kissing her. Olette's eyes widened, feeling as if his lips had shot a million bolts through her. When she recovered from the shock, she closed her eyes, pressing her lips onto his, returning the kiss.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The two friends pulled away and looked up. Standing in front of them were Roxas, Namine, Sora and Kairi, all with excited smiles on their faces.

A shade of red immediately tinted both of their faces. "You…you stalkers!" Olette cried. Kairi was the first one to talk. "Oh don't worry Olette, we'll leave you two alone for some, _bonding time._" She giggled, winking suggestively. "Who knew Hayner would ever get laid?" Sora wolf-whistled, and he was replied with an evil eye from Hayner.

"Hey Sora, guess what?" Olette said. Sora laughed. "Yeah, what is i-" But before he could finish, Olette shoved the remaining ice cream into his mouth. She and Hayner then ran to who knows where.

"Whatever." Roxas said. "We'll just watch more sparks fly during the fireworks." He then started to crack up. "Get it? Sparks? Fireworks?"

"Yes, we get it Roxas." Everyone replied blankly.

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_Should I say something, or do something?_ Cloud wondered. He and Tifa have been walking side by side for about 10 minutes, yet they haven't said anything. He probably was _boring_ her to death.

_Zack, where is he? What would he do?_ Cloud asked in his head as he scanned the beach for Zack. He finally spotted him with Aerith, being the charmer he was. Zack was climbing up a tree as Aerith waited below. He picked off a white lotus from the branches and hopped back down next to her. She giggled as he tucked the flower behind her ear.

Not too far away, Cloud spotted Riku with Yin, sitting at the edge of the pier. Riku was holding a Paopu flower, and it looked like he was going to give it to her. _Flowers, girls liked flowers, right?_ He thought, getting an idea. Conveniently, there happened to be a stand selling flowers a few yards away.

He walked over and looked at all of the flowers. There were so many colors and kinds, but one immediately caught his eye. It was the white lilies that had a light pink center and a pale yellow surrounding. Somehow, it reminded him of Tifa: mysterious and kind. "I'll have one of those." He said. The woman behind the stand kindly smiled and handed a lily to him. Cloud paid the woman and thanked her.

Clutching the flower's stem, he turned around and saw Tifa making her way toward him. "Here…" He said awkwardly to her when she reached him. "Oh! C-cloud…" Tifa said in a surprised voice, backing up a little. Cloud bit his lip. Did she not want it? But Tifa regained herself and took the lily. "…Thanks, Cloud. That's really nice of you."

"Well, all you women like flowers, right?" Cloud asked her. Tifa nodded, "True. But personally, I like the consideration better." She then turned to the flower stand. "I'll take a lily too." After the woman handed it to her, she turned around and smiled. "This is for you." She said to Cloud.

Cloud reached over to take the flower, but before he could touch it, Tifa stuck the lily behind his ear! Tifa started to laugh, her entire face brightening. "Oh, you look so pretty Cloud!"

Normally, this would have ticked Cloud off. But, he couldn't get mad at Tifa. Plus, at least her laugh wasn't annoying. "I know right?" Cloud said in a girly voice. "All the boys can't keep their hands off me!" He put his hand to his cheek in a diva like way and batted his eyes.

Tifa didn't expect that. But from Cloud's playful smile, she knew he was asking her to join in the act. "C'mere, baby." She replied, deepening her voice. "I've got a lily for a lovely lady like you." Cloud then started skipping down the beach. Laughing, Tifa chased after him.

* * *

"It's really pretty." Yin said, stroking the flower's petals. She and Riku were sitting on the pier watching the sunset. Riku had found a Paopu flower lying on the pier and was explaining to her what it was. The flower was a purplish-pink color and shaped like the Paopu fruit; just like a star.

"Have you heard about the legend?" Riku asked. Yin shook her head. "What legend?" Riku smacked his head. "Wow, I can't believe I've never told you after all this time. It's probably the most famous legend about Destiny Islands."

He put the flower down and began telling her the story. "So, according to the legend, if two people share a Paopu fruit, their souls will intertwine, connecting them together, forever."

"That's very interesting." Yin said after Riku finished. "Is it true though, the legend?"

Riku just shrugged. "I don't personally know anyone who has tried. But I've heard that the only way to know if the legend is true is to find out yourself…"

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**I'm going to cut off the last fluff at this point. It'll continue from the next chapter.**

**Hope you guys liked it :) Thanks for reading and R&R! ^^**


	14. Almost Perfect

**Sorry, it's been a while! I was sick :P **

**And just a heads up, this chapter picks up from the last one. **

**And to BubbleMonkey97, I've given Xion someone! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**

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"Well, you have to make sure it's the right person." Yin said. "You wouldn't want to be stuck with a jerk for the rest of your life." Riku nodded in agreement. "That's true, but its kind of difficult knowing someone is the one. What type of person would be 'the one' for you, Yin?"

"Well, I'd pick someone I'm close and known for a while, someone who's kind hearted, and understands and gets me….Oh! And someone who is loyal and trustworthy, that's definitely important."

"That sure is a lot." Riku replied.

Yin lowered her head slightly. "Was I asking for too much?" She asked shyly. Riku widened his eyes. "No! Not at all!" He tried to clear things up. "I'm just saying that, it's great that you know what you want, and those traits you listed are important in someone's character. Wow, looks like it's harder than I thought, finding the one."

"Yeah. But once you have, you'll know. Something will let you know you finally found them." Yin gazed up at the sky, dazing off a bit. It was starting to become night and a couple stars have already come out. "And who knows," She said, her tone a little dreamy, "They might be closer than you think."

_Yeah Yin, maybe just sitting a few inches away. _Riku whispered in his mind. He wondered if he met all those traits Yin said. He wondered deep down, very secretly…

The two friends then sat in silence. However, the quietness was interrupted with a high-pitched scream. Then it was followed with a:

"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, YOU BIG STRONG MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTER!"

"OH, YOU'RE DEFINITELY WORTH ALL OF IT!"

"What the-" Riku and Yin turned around to find out what it was, and it was probably the last thing anyone would expect. "Cloud?" Yin said, her jaw dropping.

Cloud was running across the beach with a flower stuck behind his ear, giggling like an overly flirtatious cheerleader. Not far behind him was Tifa chasing him, also with a flower.

Cloud looked over at the shocked Riku and Yin. "Heyyy…" He said, playfully winking at them. Tifa looked at them too. "Hey guys, can't talk right now. I'm about three steps away from landing a hot date!" She said.

Seeing this, Yin and Riku couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably. Once they finally managed to stop and Tifa and Cloud were gone, they looked at each other, wondering what they just saw was real or a mirage.

"What-that….wow…." Riku stammered. "I've never seen Cloud being goofy. How did Tifa do that?" Yin shrugged. "I don't know, but those two have been hanging out for nearly the entire Splashdown."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, where's Xion? I've haven't seen her since back at the stage." Riku asked.

"…There she is!" Yin looked around the crowd and spotted Xion sitting on a bench. She wasn't alone though; sitting next to her was a boy named Zexion, and Xion was talking to him.

Zexion was a typical emo boy. He had dyed blue hair that hung over his eyes, and was always seen with a book in hand or headphones around his neck. He was also very mysterious and quiet too, Yin had never even seen or heard him say a word before.

But he was conversing right back with Xion, smiling and even laughing a little. Yin grinned. "Aww, they're so cute together. He really seems to enjoy spending time with her."

"Never knew Zexion even knew how to smile." Riku said.

"That's another thing about love, isn't it?" Yin added. "When someone can make you feel different, in a good way of course, and no one else can make you feel that way."

"True, very true." Riku said. "You also enjoy spending time with that person too, and you can never get tired of seeing them."

"Speaking of different..." Yin started. "I can't believe so much has changed in so little time, and it was all because I came here." She said, looking out towards the ocean. "I would still that scared, afraid person. But most importantly, I wouldn't have met you." She looked back at Riku when she said that.

"Me?" Riku asked. Yin nodded. "You've helped me so much. I mean, all I really need was someone who could understand me and relate to what I was going through. You helped me out of the mess I was in. I never got to say this, but, thank you."

"You're, welcome." Riku said. _What did she mean, exactly?_

"All right people, they fireworks are starting!" A voice on the intercom announced.

The partying sea of people immediately shifted over to the streets to watch. Riku and Yin followed the crowd.

Everyone gathered around the curb and gazed up at the now ebony-black sky. Suddenly, a sizzling light shot up and BOOM! Exploded into a bright, red firework. It was followed by some more of all colors, along with "oohhs" and "ahhs" from everyone.

After when the fireworks really started to go off, Cloud reached over and brushed his fingers against Tifa's, very nonchalantly. He then grabbed her hand.

Tifa looked up, as if someone had just snuck up behind her. "Cloud, w-what are you doing?" She asked. "What?" Cloud asked, shrugging as it was no big deal. "Besides, you look very beautiful when you're startled."

Tifa slowly smiled at Cloud's face as it was tinted purple, then red, then green. She knew this was the right moment, the right moment to tell him. "Well Cloud, I think you always look beautiful." She replied, hoping he didn't find it creepy.

He didn't. "I think you are too, Tifa. Always beautiful." Cloud said, lacing his fingers between the spaces of Tifa's fingers, holding her hand. Tifa rested the tips of her fingers on the Cloud's hands. He finally knew…

Yin stood next to Riku. She looked around the people surrounding her. Sora and Roxas both had their arms around Kairi and Namine. Tifa and Olette were holding hands, and Xion and Zexion were standing next to each other, smiling from ear to ear.

The scenario got even better when The Fray's "Never Say Never" started to play. People began to wave their arms in the air to the romantic beat, and some people even began to slow-dance.

_Younger now, than we were before_

_Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me gggooooo_

_Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go…_

"Riku…" Yin murmured. Riku looked down into Yin's blue eyes. "Yeah?" He could see the fireworks reflected in them, like little flowers bursting.

"This is _perfect_." She said.

"There's no such thing as perfect." Riku said.

"Well, then, this is the closest thing there is to perfect then." Yin replied, looking up again to admire the beautiful night. Riku followed her gaze. Nothing could go wrong at this moment. It _did _seem perfect.

But, it wasn't. "RIKU LOOK OUT!" He heard Sora yell.

* * *

**Tragedy chapter's next, DUN DUN DUN!**

**Also, I don't own The Fray, but I do love their songs, especially Never Say Never, never get tired of it. Soo, how is Justin Bieber's NSN more popular than TF's? :O**

**I was going to update yesterday, but I was having problems. Every time it would say error type 2 (was anyone else getting this?). Apparently the sites getting reconstructed. But if this is also happening to you, just change the word "property" in the error URL to "content" and u'll get to the story :)**

**Thanks so much for reading, R&R!**


	15. Anything for you

It all then happened really quickly.

Riku spun around to see a car driving at full speed. Driving full speed towards him.

The bright headlights made it hard to see the front seats, but Riku took one look at the driver's fiery red hair and knew immediately who he was and why this was happening.

Riku could hear many voices shouting at him, most of them telling him to get out of the way, but he was paralyzed from the bright flashes of light.

But one voice stood out from the rest. He heard a "Riku watch out!" and then was pushed onto the sidewalk. He landed face first on the pavement.

Many sounds then followed. There was a screech, followed by a loud thud and multiple screams.

"Call 911!" Riku heard Tidus shout. Riku finally managed to get up, and the scene he saw before him was tragic.

Axel's car stood in the middle of the road in a wrecked mess, a red liquid splattered on the front. "Oh no…" Riku whispered. Standing on one side of the car were Sora and Kairi, who were on their cell phones with 911. On the other side of the car were Roxas and Xion, who were screaming at Axel.

Finally at the front of the car were Namine, Zack, Aerith, Tifa, Cloud, Hayner and Olette, who were gathered in a closed circle around a body.

Even though Riku couldn't see who it was lying on the ground, he knew exactly who it was.

"Yin!"

Yin tried to peer out from her heavy eyelids. She groaned from the immense pain and clutched her wounded side gently. Staring at her above were her friends, all with scared and concern looks on their faces.

"Yin!" Namine cried. "Are you okay?"

Yin opened her mouth to answer, but instead what came out was, "Where's Riku? Where is he?" After saying that, her voice grew a little stronger. "Where is he? Is Riku alright?"

"It's okay Yin, he's coming!" Yin heard the gentle voice of Yuna call. She turned her head to the side slowly to see Tidus and Yuna coming towards her, with Riku by their side. The rest of her friends parted to the sides like the Red Sea.

Riku gasped when he saw her. "Yin!" He cried, pushing past Tidus and Yuna and running to her side. He rest a hand on her shoulder and cradled her head with the other.

Yin smiled softly. "Well, I'm, I'm glad that you're alright." She said weakly.

Tears began welling up in Riku's eyes. "Yin, why did you do that?"

Yin sighed. She knew this was the right time to tell him, since there was possibly her only last chance. "Because, I love you Riku."

All of their friends gasped in shock, surprised that their predictions were true. Riku was the most surprised. A friend that he had admired and cared about had told him that she loved him. The tears began uncontrollably sliding down his face.

Yin ignored everyone's reactions and continued. "Riku, remember that day when we were talking about true love, and how one quality of it was that you would do anything for the person you loved, even die for them, and be glad to do it? Well, when I saved you, I didn't think about myself. I didn't care if I got hurt or even if I died. I only was thinking about protecting you."

More tears fell from his eyes. It was so moving to know that someone would always be there for him. Yin continued, "I'm not sure if my love is returned or not, but even if it wasn't, I still don't regret getting myself into this. I still would do anything for you. I would die for you, Riku."

"Wow, that sure is deep Yin." Zack replied. Being the simple and laid-back person he was, Yin's speech was extremely enchanting to him.

"Thanks, Zack." Yin said as Zack patted her on the head.

Riku gasped. "No Yin! Don't worry you're not going to die, you're going to be okay! And, and your love is returned."

With that, Riku leaned down and kissed Yin on the lips. In front of everyone. Yin closed her eyes and returned it. They didn't care if anyone was watching or what they were thinking. As long they had each other by their sides, they were complete.

When they parted, Yin looked into Riku's teal eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Riku."

They were interrupted by loud sirens. Everyone looked up to see an ambulance and some police cars coming. Some police officers got out and hand-cuffed Axel, then shoved him into a police car. A couple of paramedics got out of the ambulance, carrying a stretcher. They put Yin on it and delivered her towards the ambulance.

"Yin, wait!" Riku ran towards the stretcher, extending his hand towards her. "Riku…" Yin mumbled, her hand hung limply off the edge of the stretcher.

"Is she going to be alright?" Riku asked the paramedic at the end of the stretcher. "Not so sure. We're taking her to the hospital to make sure." He replied as the rest of the crew loaded into the ambulance.

Riku stopped chasing after her, but called for Yin a couple more times. As the ambulance began to drive away, Riku hung his head down in grief.

He then saw his hands. His fingers were covered in Yin's blood.

Riku suddenly felt light-headed. He was one of those people who was afraid of the smell and even the sight of blood.

As the rusty smell filled his nostrils, Riku legs grew wobbly, and he stumbled backwards. Cloud caught him in his arms. "Riku!" Cloud shouted along with some others.

"Y-yin…" Riku whispered before his vision went pitch black…

* * *

**Sorry, this chapter was a little short, and I hope it didn't sound to cliche. I'm sad to say there's only a couple more chapters before this story is over :(**

**Whew, spring break is finally here! I'm going to be in LA till thursday so I'll update after I get back!**

**Thanks for reading! R&R! ^^**


	16. Forever and Always

When Riku woke up, everything he saw was blurry.

The first thing he could make out was the white ceiling, then a couple of fuzzy figures hovered over him, repeating his name in an echoing tone.

Riku blinked a few more times, and everything cleared up. The fuzzy figures he saw were Sora and Kairi.

A relief look spread across both of their faces. "Riku, thank god you're awake!" Sora held out a hand. Riku grabbed it and sat up.

He looked around. He was in an all white room. He saw Roxas, Namine, Xion and Zexion sitting on some chairs against the wall near the door. Xion was sound asleep, her head resting on Zexion's shoulder. He too, was sleeping. Roxas and Namine gave a quick wave to Riku when he glanced at them.

Riku looked down to realize that he was sitting on a bed. The bed was next to a large rectangular window. He could see large buildings outside.

_I'm in the hospital._ Riku thought. He turned back to his friends. "How long have I been asleep?" He asked.

"I don't know, a couple of hou-" Kairi started but Riku cut in. "Yin!" He remembered. "Yin, where is she?" He stood up from the hospital bed but Sora and Kairi pinned him back.

"It's okay, Riku. She's in the hospital too." Namine answered. Riku slowly took a deep breath, then sat back down as Sora and Kairi loosened their grip on him.

"What-what happened exactly back there?" Riku asked. Even though he saw most of the scene, he still didn't completely understand everything that occurred.

"Axel got drunk." Roxas said. Riku turned to face him.

"It turned out he saw you two together at the Splashdown. Angered, he wanted revenge on you, so he tried to hurt you by hitting you with his car." Riku shuddered at the sound of Axel's name.

"Yin knew something like this would happen. When we were dancing back at the Splashdown, she told me that she wouldn't let Axel hurt you because of her."

"She saved my life." Riku said. Roxas nodded.

Riku looked Roxas into the eye. "I want to see her."

"Are you sure Riku?" Kairi asked. "You should rest a little more."

Riku shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine. I want to see her."

"Alrighty." Roxas said. He nudged the two sleeping people next to him. "Nngh?" Xion and Zexion both opened their eyes and looked around. "What, where…" Xion mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She then blinked a few times and saw Riku. "Oh hey Riku! You're awake!" She said.

"Yeah, it's already been a while." Roxas rolled his eyes. "C'mon, we're going to Yin's room." Xion and Zexion nodded quickly and stood up. The gang then headed out the door to the hall.

They walked about four rooms down before stopping and going inside.

When they stepped through the doorway, Riku saw that Tifa, Cloud, Aerith, Zack, Hayner and Olette were also there. Some of them were standing around the bed, while the others where sitting on chairs.

A bunch of doctors were surrounding the hospital bed in the center of the room. Riku's eyes widened. "Yin!" He called, hurrying over. He gently pushed the doctors aside and saw her.

She was lying on the bed, eyes closed. Some bandages covered her arms and face, and a couple of cords were attached to her. Eyes tightly shut and brow slightly furrowed, it was obvious she was under a lot of anxiety.

"It's me, Yin! Please wake up!" Riku said, shaking Yin gently. She didn't wake up, or even budge a muscle.

"She's been out for a while now." Tifa said. She looked down, eyes slightly watery. Cloud put a comforting arm around her, rubbing her back gently. He too, was deeply saddened. Aerith was sobbing rather loudly, covering her face in a hanker-chief. Hayner and Olette held each other's hands nervously.

"Will she be alright?" Riku asked a doctor.

The doctor bit his lip unsurely. "I can't be so sure. The worst case is…" He paused for a second. "…She might never wake up, ever again."

Everyone gasped. "No way!" Xion and Roxas cried, overwhelmed with horror of the possible fate of their cousin.

Riku's legs began to shake. He felt like fainting all over again. As he stumbled back, all of his friends and some nurses rushed to catch him.

Riku landed in a sea of arms. Even though he didn't pass out this time, he was panting. Long, deep and heavy pants. Sweat drops began to form on his forehead.

As everyone tried to calm Riku down (making rather slow progress), the doctor ran over to the pile of people, knowing what he said was too much.

He pushed everyone holding Riku away, causing Riku to sit down on the floor. The doctor put a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"But, it seems like she can still listen. You can try talking to her to see if that wakes her up." He replied.

A wave of hope perked through Riku. Everyone nodded in agreement. "It's worth a shot, Riku." Hayner said.

"Yeah!" Zack added. "You know, they say that love can conquer all. Maybe if you tell Yin your true love, it can help guide her back to us!"

Everyone looked at Zack with surprise. "Zack, I never knew you had this side of you…" Aerith said. "I like that."

"Ah…heh heh…" Zack rubbed his head, blushing. He stopped immediately though. "What are you waiting for?" He urged Riku. "Try it!"

"We'll leave you and Yin alone." The doctor said to Riku. He gestured towards the door, and everyone else immediately headed out.

Riku got up and walked towards where Yin lied. He sat down on the bed and held Yin's hand. He took a deep breath, and began to speak…

* * *

It was like she was lost in a deep, unfamiliar forest.

All Yin could sense was darkness, and more darkness. It was like she was wandering around, not sure where to go. She wasn't sure if she could find her way out, and the pain wasn't encouraging her. There was a part of her that felt like she should just collapse on the floor, and give up.

But something interrupted those thoughts.

It was a voice, a familiar one. _Riku…?_ Yin wondered.

The voice spoke again. "Yin listen. I'm so sorry that I got you in all of this. It makes me really sad that you're hurt."

It was Riku. Slowly, Yin began "running", trying to follow his voice.

"…But another part makes me happy to know that you truly love me and would do something like this for me. It's so moving to me how you care about me so much. And I just want you to know that I would do the same for you, anytime and always. Because I love you too, Yin."

Yin picked up pace on her "running", making a mad dash towards the opening light…

"Riku!"

* * *

Riku saw Yin's fingers move a little. Slowly twitching, they finally managed to grip his. "Y-yin?" Riku wondered, staring at his and Yin's intertwined fingers.

"Nng…" Riku looked back to see a pair of big blue eyes staring back at him. "Yin!" Riku immediately grabbed her into a warm, loving embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, smiling.

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. Finally Riku released his grip on Yin. She began to release hers too, but was interrupted by Riku's lips locking with hers.

A faint pink blush spread across her face as she tightened her grip on him again.

"Whoa oh ho! Is it gettin' hot in here?"

Riku and Yin broke off to see Roxas, jaw nearly hitting the floor, along with all of their other friends. The two looked down giggling, slightly embarrassed.

Roxas continued squealing like a fangirl: "I knew it, I just so totally knew it! I knew from the beginning that it would happen! Hold on a sec, I so need to record this!" He rambled, digging around in his pockets for his cell phone.

But just as he found it and was about to press "record", Xion put a hand in front of the phone's camera lens. "Now now, Roxy, please give the two lovebirds some alone time."

"B-but I-" He started, but Namine grabbed his collar. "C'mon, Bieber lover, let's get outta here." She said smirking, dragging a protesting Roxas out.

Everyone else followed them. As they were about to step out, Sora gave Riku a thumbs-up, and Tifa gave Yin an encouraging smile.

When they were finally alone, Riku looked back at Yin, staring straight into her eyes. "Yin, I love you. I always have." He said, once again pulling her into a hug.

"Me too, Riku. And I'll always will." She replied, head resting in the crook of his neck.

Riku smiled and set his chin on the top of her head, tightening his embrace.

He was never going to let her go.

* * *

**Cute huh? ^^**

**Wait wait though, the story's NOT OVER yet! One more chapter! :)**

**Thanks so much for reading this chapter (Snuck in a little AerithxZack and XionxZexion heehee). Hope you enjoyed it R&R!**


	17. Epilogue

Riku and Yin have been happily together for nearly two years. Tonight was their anniversary, yet Riku was ready to take this relationship to the next step.

Riku heard beeping sounds coming from his laptop. He ran over to check it.

There was a Skype screen that read "Bieberfan4eva would like to chat with you."

"Roxas." Riku smiled. He could never take Roxas's Skype name seriously. He clicked the "accept" button.

The screen immediately switched to Roxas's bedroom. Roxas was sitting at his desk, with Namine standing next to him. Riku could see Sora and Kairi sitting on Roxas's bed nearby. Xion was sprawled out on the bed too, her head dangling off the edge. Her now boyfriend Zexion sat on the floor next to head, catching it on his shoulder.

"Hey guys." Riku waved at the screen.

"Is tonight the night?" Namine asked with excitement. Riku nodded proudly.

"Oh my god, I can't wait to see the look on her face!" Kairi practically screamed. Sora rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"And we'll promise you that Roxas isn't going to stalk you two." Zexion said quietly. "Hey!" Roxas shouted back, grabbing a toss pillow and hurling it at Zexion's pale face.

Riku laughed. "Thanks guys."

"Good luck!" Everyone said waving before Roxas closed the chat screen.

* * *

"Oh, Yin it looks so perfect on you!" Aerith squealed.

"Doesn't feel so perfect." Yin complained. She was wearing a winter green silk empire-waist dress that stopped just past her knees. The thin sash was embroidered with silver sequins and a black satin flower was sewed on the right side of the neckline. Even though Yin thought the dress was beautiful, she still hated dressing up.

"Why did Riku have to pick a fancy place tonight?" Yin asked as Aerith tied the dress's sash from the back.

"Well duh of course he would! It's your anniversary for crying out loud!" Olette said.

"Sorry I'm late!" Tifa cried, suddenly bursting through Yin's bedroom door. She must've ran all the way, since her ebony hair was tousled and she was panting.

Aerith smirked. "Ha, who's the late one now." She said.

"Not my fault!" Tifa said. "Cloud was the one who wanted to see a movie on the same day as Yin's anniversary!"

"Really? Watching a movie?" Yin asked. "Don't you mean making out?" She teased. Olette and Aerith giggled.

Tifa's fair cheeks immediately turned into bright red. Even though her and Cloud have been going out for a while, she still got embarrassed whenever someone even mentioned about them. "Not true! We've barely have even kissed yet!" She fought back.

"We don't have time for this nonsense!" Olette said. "We have to hurry up! What time is Riku picking you up?"

"6:30." Yin replied. "That's about twenty more minutes!" Olette said. She turned to Tifa. "Did you bring the shoes and jewelry?"

Tifa nodded, pulling out a large Hollister shopping bag and dumping the contents out. A couple of shoes, necklaces and bracelets fell out.

The girls helped Yin pick out her accessories. Yin decided on a pair of black leather open-toed pumps and a silver heart pendant. Aerith helped do her makeup, which consisted of black mascara, shimmery light brown eye shadow and clear lipgloss.

Just as Aerith finished, the doorbell rang. Yin took a deep breath, smoothed the skirt of her dress, headed downstairs and opened the door…

* * *

"Hey…" Riku said as Yin opened the door. "You look beautiful, as usual." He smiled.

"Thanks." Yin said, blushing. Her blush got redder as she saw Riku's outfit: A navy blue button-down shirt with the top few buttons left open, dark jeans and black dress shoes.

"Like what you see?" Riku teased.

Yin pouted stubbornly. "Oh you." She said, pushing him gently. "So, where are we going tonight?" She asked.

"It's a surprise." He stepped to the side, revealing a black limo behind him. He walked Yin to the door. "Step inside if you want to know."

Yin's eyes brightened. "Wow, did you do all of this Riku?" Yin asked in awe as she and Riku got inside.

"Of course I would do this for the best girl in the world." Riku said.

With that, the driver started to drive. When they arrived at their destination, Riku put his hands over Yin's eyes. "Don't peek, Yin, until I tell you too." He said as he started walking her out of the vehicle.

"Okay." Yin said.

When he released his hands, Yin gasped at the surprise Riku had prepared.

They were at the beach. In front of them stood a table for two covered in a white tablecloth. Pink rose petals were sprinkled on the silky sand. In the distance, the sunset's rainbow colors were reflecting off of the crystal blue ocean water.

Yin was speechless. Literally. She couldn't make any words come out. It was all too beautiful.

"This was where I first asked you to the Splashdown." Riku said. "Remember?"

"Of course." Yin said. She took a moment to flash back to that memory, a memory she would never forget.

The couple walked over to the table and sat down, just as a waiter came over with menus.

"Good evening." He greeted. "What will we be having tonight?'

"How about two French onion soups to start out?" Riku asked. The waiter nodded and walked off to get their food. Just as he left, some music began playing from a stereo nearby.

_No matter what happens,_

_Even if the sky's falling down,_

_I promise you, that I'll never let you go…_

It was Park Bom's "You and I". "Riku, I didn't know you liked K-pop." Yin said. Riku shrugged. "Thought I change things up a bit. Besides, this song is really beautiful."

"Can you believe it's already been two years?" Yin sighed happily, looking out towards the horizon. "Time just goes by so quickly."

"Yeah." Riku said. "But Yin…" He paused, reaching out to touch her hand. "I want this relationship to last forever and ever."

"Huh?" Yin asked, just as the waiter came back with the food. He lifted up the lid covering the large plate. Except on the plate, it wasn't food, but a small black box covered in velvet.

"It-it couldn't be…" Yin said. "Oh, yes. Yes it is." Riku said, taking the box and getting down on one knee. The waiter, who was actually just Terra in disguise, gave Riku a "go for it" wink and backed off.

Riku opened the box to reveal the ring. It was a golden bang with a diamond shaped like the Paopu fruit flower. Riku began to speak just as the chorus of the song began to play:

_You and I together,_

_It just feels so right_

"Yin, I love you and I promise that I'll love you till the day I die. So Yin, make me the happiest guy in the world, will you marry me?"

Yin covered her mouth to prevent squealing, tears of joy running down her cheeks. "Yes." She whispered as Riku slipped the ring on her finger. She ran into his arms and he picked her up and swung her around, giving her a passionate kiss.

"Hallelujah! We're gonna be cousins now man!"

Riku and Yin broke off to see Roxas jumping up and down with joy. Alongside him were Sora, Kairi, Xion, Namine,, Zexion, Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Aerith, Zack, Tifa, Cloud, Hayner and Olette, all of them applauding.

"Oh, it was just like in the movie!" Tifa said. "Like you would know." Cloud said. "I thought you were too busy staring at me."

"Oh be quiet." Tifa said, hugging Cloud.

Yin and Riku looked at each other with "Oh no, not again" expressions. "Do they ALWAYS follow us around?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Yin said. "Think you can deal with that for the rest of your life?"

"As long as it means being with you, then yes." Riku said, embracing Yin.

_Just you and I,_

_Forever and ever and ever_

Their lives were finally complete. As long as they had each other.

* * *

**Whoo, it's finally done! Thank you all, to everyone who read my story, I love you all so much! **

**I love Park Bom's song "You and I", the music vid makes me cry every time. Also, I don't own Park Bom or 2ne1.**

**Oh and just a small heads up: I'm thinking about writing a sequel to this story! However, the story isn't going to focus on Riku and Yin :(. I was thinking about making it a VentusxAqua story (I like this pairing, it's really interesting). But I will include Yin and the rest of the characters, AND I'll include Riku and Yin's wedding too.**

**Once again, thank you all so very much! **


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